Autumn's Concerto
by Kamenashi-JaeJoong
Summary: I never thought I'd know this type of complication, fear, or pain. I never thought I'd know this type of love either.
1. Introductions

Welcome to my story! First full length story I'll be trying to accomplish finishing EVER. So we'll see how this goes.

Read and review. I am going through and making changes, which is why the next update is taking so long. So hang in there with me. I don't want to disappoint.

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and all its recognizable characters belong to Stephanie Meyer.

"Bella! Bella! Isabella!"

"Sorry, sorry. Yes?"

"Last order of your shift. Table six." Eric handed me a hot plate to balance in the palm of my hand. "And be careful. Don't spill the customer's order in their lap like yesterday."

"I won't." Grabbing the plate, I carefully picked my way through the people, a drink in one hand, a burning plate in my other. There was an easy aisle between tables, made larger since when I had been hired for this purpose. The people at table six were regulars and were aware of my more or less disability of clumsyness but they were nice about it, only cringing away when I came too close.

"Here you go," I said, smiling, successfully setting their large plate of fries to share on the table without incident. "Enjoy."

I was back in the kitchen, taking off my apron to get ready for the ride to the school immediately after my shift was over.

"Good job, Bella." Eric said, flipping over a burger. "You managed to not trip over your own feet. It's a new record, right?"

I stuck my tongue at him out as I fixed my shirt. "I'm just saying," he continued. "I mean, you're the reason why we can't get our no-accident bonus."

"I'm also the reason you're keep getting the customers. I have a personality. You don't."

Eric just smiled, turning away from me to fix his attenion on his burgers. Our banter was every day, had been for the past year now. Shame we wouldn't be spending much more time together. Eric was beginning to grow on me.

Our manager came out of his back room, waving an envelope that was the light of my week. "Here you are, Bella, full week's pay," he handed me the paper and I felt a sense of relief in my chest. "And," he opened the freezer. "And, and, and this." He held a bag of cut chicken out to me with a flourish. "Take this home for dinner tonight."

I went to take the bag, then stopped. "That's very kind of you, Mr. Webber. But I can't afford this."

Mr. Webber smiled kindly and leaned in conspiritor-like. "Who said you were paying me for this?" He gently pressed the bag into my hands. "It's on me. You work hard. Think of it as... as a raise for your hard work."

I stared at him, and then at the bag. We had only been eating left overs the night before and with this, I could actually make Sue and Peter an actual meal. Biting my lip, I gave in. "Thank you, Mr. Webber."

He grinned wider and pat my shoulder. "Any time, Bella. Just make sure to get that cold fast." A bell rang over the door and he jumped a little. "Oh, the Marlers are here. Time out and we'll see you tomorrow." He left to seat the customers.

I felt guilty taking the bag... but Mr. Webber had said that I could. And I had put an extra few hours in this past week.

I caught sight of the clock on the wall, realized I was running late, and gasped. Grabbing my bag off the table, I threw my money in it and tossed the bag over my shoulders as I ran out the door. I had to catch the bus at eleven and then walk two blocks to Masen University for my next job.

I was only a short walk from the bus stop when I saw it pull up and then open and close the doors almost as soon as it pulled up. "Hey! Wait!" I began running after the bus cursing under my breath. They knew I was coming, I always took the bus come rain or shine, even hail. "Wait!" I tripped over my own feet and landed on my face, scraping my hands on the way down. It stung terribly, but it was nothing I wasn't used to, but it made it harder for me to get up quickly to catch the attention of old Mr. Clearwater who rode the bus to the city from the reserve every Tuesday. I was just about to give up and try to find some other way to the Univeristy when the bus slowed and the doors opened. Tripping up the stairs, I fished out the change and collapsed in a seat. The bus driver rolled his eyes and continued on his way. Good morning to you, too.

I held the bag of chicken up to make sure there was nothing wrong with it especially since I fell. But it was still cold, meaning I did have time to get it to the University's kitchen before it went bad and then I could easily get it home to prepare.

I sighed, relaxing against the seat and closing my eyes. I felt the easy sense of sleep trickling in my mind; a nap would be perfect after getting only three hours of sleep. But as time passed, I had to open them, despite the effort it took to keep my eyes open. I looked out the window instead, looking at the greenery I had known since I was young and counting cars as they passed. I sighed again, fogging the window to the point where I couldn't see out. I was trying to decide if I was looking forward to this new job or not.

Suddenly, the bus came to a screeching halt, throwing all of us forward, sprawling me out into the aisle.

"What's going on?"

"Why have we stopped?"

"I have somewhere to be, you know!"

I pushed my hair out of my face and tried to sit up, stabling myself against one of the other seats, watching the bus driver standing near the front window, shaking his fist at whatever was in front of the bus. Everyone was either craning their necks to see too, or gathering their things strewn across the floor of the bus.

Oh, the chicken! I rushed under two seats and snatched it back. There didn't seem to be a problem with it, no holes or anything.

"What is he doing? Is he crazy?" Someone on the bus shouted. "How stupid!"

I pulled my window down and stuck my head out, craning to see around the bus. What I couldn't believe was that a silver car had stopped right in the middle of the road, right in front of the bus at an awkward angle, and two people were just sitting in the car; I think they were yelling at each other.

The bus driver honked the horn loud enough for me to jump and hit my head on the edge of the window, but the two in the car both ignored it and the people on the bus were getting more and more agitated. Their mood was catching on, setting my mouth in a firm line. I had a job to get to, one that meant money and if I didn't get all that I could there wasn't an escape in sight for me.

I hauled my bag over my shoulder, grabbed the bag of poultry, and made my way past the people in the aisle and out the bus.

"What is she doing?"

"Where does she think she's going?"

Just as the bus driver opened the doors for me, I heard the woman yelling at the top of her voice to the man.

"You promised me!"

"I promised you no such thing. I said that we would try and I can see that this is not going to work." Said the man calmly. "I would appreciate it if you would try to refrain from screaming so much."

"Screaming? This is not screaming!" The woman shrieked, throwing her sun glasses on top of her head. "Edward, please, listen. I've liked you for a very long time. And on our first date you tell me I'm not what you're looking for? How could you even know?"

"I know what I want, Lauren. And though you are a nice girl, you are not it."

"Edward!"

"Lauren, it is not beneath me to push you out of my car, no matter if it is rude."

"Edward!"

"Excuse me."

Both heads turned to face me. I had the idea to look at the man first since it was apparently his car and found myself staring at the most attractive person I had ever seen, with green eyes that were looking coldly, expantently, at me. I was so taken aback by it that I turned my attention to the woman beside him and addressed her.

"Could you please take this conversation somewhere else? You are parked right in front of our bus and we all have places to be."

"That's right!" Came shouts from the bus.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to mind your own business?" The blonde woman snapped. She was attractive too, with a sheet of pretty silver-blonde hair and grey eyes the color of an angry sky. "We are having a private conversation."

I raised my eyebrows. "It's not very private in the middle of the road though, is it? I'm not saying to stop talking, and I'm sure not trying to butt in. But we," I gestured to the bus, "need to be somewhere."

I saw the man raise his eyebrows at me from the corner of my eye. The woman took an angry breath to retort her answer to me but was cut off by her companion slamming his door.

"Excuse me, but who are you?" He asked me, coming to stand in front of me.

I paused a moment, debating if I was going to look him in the eyes or at all. "Bella."

"It's nice to meet you, Bella." He said, leaning against his car. "But Lauren and I need to settle this now."

"Could you not settle it elsewhere?" I all but snapped. "I have somewhere I have to be and I can't be late."

He stared at me with those green eyes and I almost forgot what I had just said.

Without looking at her, he said, "Lauren, get out of the car."

"What!"

He didn't repeat himself. With a tight mouth, Lauren got out, pushing me aside and slamming the door with more force than necessary.

"I'll move." He said, pulling his keys out of his pocket. "If you can move my car for me."

I was completely lost now. "I'm sorry?"

He held the keys out. "If you need to be somewhere, I'll let you move my car. Or better yet, you can drive it there." He smiled. "I've always liked walking."

I wasn't sure if he was serious. He sounded genuine enough, but I wasn't sure if he was just playing with me. I knew he was higher class, the car, the clothes, and the girl told me so. But his voice and his manner was different. It was clear, however, that I was nowhere near his league, he could have been mocking me for fun.

"Why can't you?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I told you, I don't mind walking." He held the keys out farther.

I debated and knew I was pressed when no sounds were coming from behind me, meaning I was being watched. I was never good under pressure.

Slowly I reached for the keys and he dropped them into my palm like it was nothing and stepped aside. I watched him for any other reaction, almost hoping he was joking, but I didn't see anything. So I took a few steps. And then some more. When he didn't stop me, I got into his car and put the key in the ignition and put his car in drive. I wondered if it would be a good idea to tell him I had never actually driven before. I wondered if then he would move his own damn car to keep me from crashing it into ditch and ultimately the trees.

I inched the car forward, waiting for him to seriously stop me. Why would he let me do this? Was there something I was missing? But he was honestly going to let me drive his car away. Just to be safe, I went forward a little ways and then parked his car on the side of the road and got out. I walked back to him, and held his keys out. Lauren was sneering at the distance.

"You said you liked walking." I reminded him, handing him his keys. He took my wrist instead, and I couldn't help but notice that his hand easily circled my wrist, overlapping his thumb. Talk about pianist fingers.

"I do." He said and then he took the keys with his other hand. "Thank you, Bella." He murmured and then left. "I'll drop you off at school, Lauren."

"Are we going to talk about this at all?" She asked, catching up with him.

"We already have, Lauren." I watched them walking away, his long legs easily able to outrun hers, but she was jogging beside him to make sure her voice was hear. I don't know how he could ignore it, I could hear it from where I was still standing.

As they neared the car, the man, Edward, turned around and looked at me, slowing his walk as he did so. I felt the blood rise in my face and turned away, ignoring the rest of their conversation as I got back on the bus, blushing under the immense stares of the passengers. The bus driver took off before the two other people, Edward and Lauren, were in their car; probably afraid that they would take off before he did.

As we passed, I watched the man watch the bus, his eyes searching each window. I sunk down low enough so he wouldn't see me and stayed like that until the next stop.

I was rushing into the cafeteria, bypassing all the students coming in for lunch to get to the fridge in the back.

"What are you doing here?" Peter asked. I cringed as I ran past him. "You're supposed to be in library helping your mother!"

"I got stopped on the way and I have this for dinner tonight." I gasped, throwing the door open and tossing the bag in.

"You're going to be late!"

"No, I won't!" I said, dashing back out the door, almost falling over a chair leg to the snickers of the students coming in.

"Then you'll trip!"

I ignored his comment and ran the rest of the way into the huge building where Sue was waiting for me. She was just pulling out a new stack of books when she spotted me.

"Bella! There you are, I thought you were going to be late. Here, you're just in time for the new arriving books. Will you put them away for me so I can take the check out counter?"

"Sure." I took the books, checking the spines for names as I went. Maybe they would let me borrow some books to read. But I seriously doubted it.

"Bella." I was just done with shelving the new books when Sue called me over. "Bella, I need to go run down to the kitchen. Peter needs help because this wave of kids came in. Do you mind doing this by yourself for a little while?"

"Not at all." The library was almost empty anyway, I could handle it myself for a little while.

"You remember how to work the book scanner?"

"Yes."

"And the computer?"

"Sure do."

"Alright then. Thank you, dear. I'll be back as fast as I can."

"And while I'm thinking about it," I called to her. "There's some chicken in the fridge from Mr. Webber. Will you grab it, please, on your way out?"

She nodded and put her name pin down and walked out the door, a little lost as she tried to navigate the big campus.

Every time Sue and I were introduced as mother and daughter, we had to explain that it was step-mother and daughter. The looks we got when they compared her beautiful copper skin to my albino white almost made it worth the well worn explanation.

I loved Sue, she was very good for my father and treated me like a daughter. Which was why I didn't mind going with her or staying with her even when I was old enough to leave. I didn't want to leave her alone.

"Miss?"

A voice behind a tall stack of books was calling me from my shelves.

As I neared the counter, I asked, "Can I help you?"

"Could I check these out?" He asked, letting them drop onto the counter. "Geez, they're heavy."

"Sure." I answered, pushing them aside so I could see his face. "Do you have a library card?"

He paused, looking frazzled enough by the amount of books he had that I don't think he registered what I was asking. "Um, I think I have it with me." He dug in his pockets until he came out with a shiny, new wallet. "Let me see. Oh, here." He pulled it out and I scanned the name while I scanned the card. Mike Newton.

"Are you the new librarian?" He asked, friendly.

I nodded. "Yes."

"I have a report in English." He said, answering my unasked question. "I'm not very good, you see, so I'm checking out all the books I can find to help me." I pushed a pile towards him to take. "I need all the help I can get."

"Are you going to be able to get these to your dorm?" I laughed.

He joined in. "We'll see."

He literally staggered out of the library; watching him struggle without any help from the other studnents watching his journey me feel bad for him. The dorms were a ways away. I wondered if anyone would help him outside.

It looked like today would be easy day, the first one in a long time compared to the hectic schedule at the restaurant. After giving up the night shift at Webber's for this, I knew better than to think this would be an easy job. Masen University was full of the brightest students. It had the least party percentage and the least campus crime. If anyone came to learn it, that's what they did.

At least, on campus.

For being a small state, Washington's Masen University was a prestigeous school, where rich parents sent their rich kids. On campus, from what I understood, they were on their best behavior. But once they were off, apparently the parents' money came in handy when their kids got in trouble.

I sighed, thinking of when I would get enough money to leave, then considering how long it would take me to get money to go to a good college. I cringed at the thought.

Maybe I could teach myself while I worked here. But that would take time and I hardly had any to spare.

By the time Sue got back it was almost time to leave. I was relieved for the rest time. Enough time to eat dinner and then to go to sleep before I had to get up at four-thirty to start a shift at five at the restaurant in the morning. I was so used to schedules like these that it didn't bother me much anymore. At least now I wasn't falling sleep during a shift.

We all left at the same time and took the bus back home. Peter had a car he could have used, but he was afraid some kid would steal it. I thought this was preposterous: who would want his beat up, dried up, ugly Chevy?

I was preparing the chicken before Sue shooed me out of the kitchen much to my protest. I would rather have cooked dinner and let her relax, but she wouldn't hear of it, so I left for a shower instead.

The shower was in the hallway beside Peter and Sue's room and then my room beside their's. I brought everything I needed to get ready for bed with me into the bathroom: my pyjamas, toothbrush, and face wash with my blow dryer already under the sink. When I walked in, I wanted to walk out clothed and dry as before.

I ran into Peter on the way to the bathroom, ducking my head as I passed and making a run for the bathroom with my stuff bundled in my arms. The door was easy to come open, so I had to push the laundry basket against it. Our windows didn't have blinds and though we were basically out in the middle of nowhere, I put the boards I hid behind the washing machine in front of them just in case. I felt safer that way.

There was just enough hot water for a ten minute shower, most of that concentrated on washing my hair. There's wasn't time to let the water relax the muscles in my shoulders or time to really even get wet. It was get in and get out. No relaxing or thorough washing.

As I was stepping out of the shower, a noise spooked me enough to wrap the shower curtain around me. I couldn't see outside the room and I knew no one could see in, but it still made me uneasy. The noise came again, the sound of something stepping out around this side of the house.

I quickly toweled down and got into my sleeping clothes as fast as I could. After brushing my teeth and hair, I blew my hair dry and then threw it back into a ponytail. By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, Sue was finishing with dinner.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" I asked her coming into the kitchen.

"No, I'm done." She handed me the plate of fried chicken tenders. "But if you'll take that to the table it'd be nice."

The front door opened and Peter came into the house, shaking his coat off. "Where'd you go?" Sue asked over her shoulder.

"I thought I saw a wolf outside the house." He answered, sitting across from me.

"There wasn't one, was there?"

"No."

Sue sat down beside him with her ever constant smile. "Help yourselves. Thank Mr. Webber for me when you go to work, Bella. That was very kind of him."

"I will." With what we had, Sue was able to make a wonderful meal out of the chicken and potatoes. There was small talk at the table, but the exhaustion was settling in fast in my body and if I didn't eat fast, I was going to fall asleep at the table.

"May I be excused?" I asked, finishing my plate.

"Of course." Sue said. I took my plate to the sink and washed it out, looking at the growing pile of dishes that I had to balance my plate on. If I could, I'd start the dishes tomorrow before I left for my first shift.

I shut my door behind me, locking the door lock and then locking the bolt in place. I checked to make sure my windows were locked and the crawled under my covers until my head was almost covered. There was no way it was still there after all these years, but I still thought I smelt the familiar smell of my parents when we were all together years and years ago. It was at times like these, just before I went to sleep, when I missed them both.


	2. Librarian

Hey, everyone! Second chapter. I know, I'm still waiting for it to get exciting too. Don't worry. It will.

Disclaimer: Twilight and all it's characters are copyright Stephenie Meyer. The very basic plot is copyright the respectful owners of "Autumn's Concerto/Next Stop Happiness."

Words written here are copyright me.

* * *

I was up before my alarm the next morning and turned it off before it woke Sue. I dressed in the dark and pakced my bag for the day, taking out my envelope of money and putting some of it and my tips aside in a hidden drawer where my money stash had been put away. I felt the heavy weight of money collected and then hid it away again, reaching for the bobby pins to put my hair up with, stuffing a few in my mouth as I unlocked my door. I tiptoed past Sue and Peter's room and out the door as quietly as possible.

I caught the 4:30 bus and settled myself in the middle seat, glancing out into the still dark sky and knowing it was going to be a long day.

The bus was delayed because of a family of ducks crossing the street and when it parked two blocks from the restuarant I knew I either had to run or be late. I was there two minutes to spare and greeting Mr. Webber as I bypassed him to the back where Eric was getting the grill hot.

"Hey, Bella." He greeted.

"Hi." I answered. "Want any help?"

"Nah, I got it." He said, spreading oil over the top. "But Boss was saying how he wanted the tables prepared."

"On it." I tied my apron as I went and started putting the chairs down and organizing the condements. The early birds were coming in for their breakfast before they left for work and some of the tables and orders had to be ready before they even got here. Later on it would get so busy, I would hardly be able to clean the tables. Get them prepared now and later I'd be able to get through the day with no problem.

The bells above the door rang. "Welcome to Webber's." I said with my back turned, wiping down the final table. "May I help you?"

"Nope. I'm just here to see how you're doing."

I turned at the familiar voice. "Jake!" He smiled huge and opened his arms. "Jake," I warned, "I'm on the clock."

"Aw, c'mon. No one's here yet."

I rolled my eyes but gave in, giving him the huge hug he got every morning. "Why are you up so early?" I asked him, tucking my rag in the pocket of my apron.

"Are you always going to ask this question every morning?" He asked, sitting down at the counter.

I shrugged. "I feel kind of responsible for you being up at the crack of dawn when you could be sleeping."

"Psh." He waved his hand. "I don't sleep. Remember, I'm eighteen. Sleep is for the weak." A loud rumble came from him and I laughed.

"I suppose food is for the weak too?"

"Damn straight." He laughed. "But I wouldn't say no to some sausage." He fished for his wallet, handing me five dollars.

"Jake, the sausage is two."

"I know. You keep the change."

I made a face. "Jake, no. You're already letting me borrow books."

"Think of it as a tip then."

"Jake-"

"Fine." He took the five back and pulled out two folded bills. "Happy?"

"Yes." I took them and put them in cash register." An order of sausage." I called to Eric. I started cleaning the counter for something to do. "How are you enjoying school? Making good grades?"

"Bells, just because you're two months older does not mean you can act like my mother."

"What? I'm just asking." I flicked the towel at him. "You're mother's not here so someone has to make sure you stay in line."

Jake rolled his eyes. "It's going fine, I guess. University life isn't all it's cracked up to be, but it's not hell."

"Order up!" I grabbed Jake's plate from Eric and tripped over my own feet to give it to him. Jake caught me and the plate in time.

I winced at his hands pushing against my ribs. "Nice save."

"I've had years of being your friend to perfect it." He put me back on my feet and noticed my face. "Did I hurt you?"

"Not on purpose." I assured. "Don't worry about it, I've had worse and we both know it." The bell over the door rang and Mr. Banner came in. "Got work to do. Enjoy your breakfast." I stood beside Mr. Banner just as he sat down. "The usual today, sir?"

He examined the menu and then nodded. "Yes. But instead of black coffee, can you put some sugar in it? I need the extra energy today. My kids are turning in projects and I fear some of them procrastinated too long."

I smiled, jotting down his order. "Sure thing, Mr. Banner." Just as I handed his order in, two more customers came in and by the time they were taking care of, I was balancing three plates on one arm and two glasses in the other and praying I didn't fall. By the time my break had come, Angela, Mr. Webber's daughter, was here to start her shift and I went to the back room to pull out my lunch.

I sat in the back kitchen with Eric to eat. Eric had been working with Mr. Webber longer than I had and didn't mind taking the longer hours. After Tyler had quit, Eric was the only cook at the moment. He did, however, get extra pay.

"How's Sue?" He asked, turning over some hamburgers.

"She's fine."

"And Peter?"

"He's... fine too."

He nodded. "Good. I saw Mr. Webber give you some chicken yesterday. Did you have that for dinner?"

"Yes-"

"Good. I thought you deserved it." He took his eyes off the grill long enough to smile at me. "You work hard and your skills at walking on a flat surface have improved."

"Trying to eat here, Eric."

"Then why are you back here with me?" I threw a napkin at him that fell short three feet. "Nice shot." He snickered. I threw the rest of my sandwich in my mouth and got up, wiping the crumbs from my apron. "That's all you have for lunch?" He asked.

"Yep." I said, zipping my bag back up. "It's so much more filling than the pitiful chip I had yesterday." I rolled my eyes. "Give me a break, Eric. I'm not going to starve. It'll hold me over until dinner."

"Bella, come on. You need to eat more than that."

"I'm fine - Watch it!"

Eric, not watching what he was doing, placed his hand on the burning top of the stove, the sizzling made my skin crawl. He let out a howl of pain and jumped away and I immediately turned the stove off and led him to the sink. Taking his hand, I inspected it, noticing the burn marks that were already bubbling on his palm. Fighting against the feeling of sickness, I turned the cold water on and gingerly set his hand underneath it. He hissed in pain and tried to jerk away but I held his hand, telling him it would feel better in a moment if he would just hold still. He eventually relaxed and I told him, "Keep your hand under the water, I'll be right back." We were closer together than I thought so when I turned around I nearly knocked him over, pushing him into the wall.

"Sorry!" I said, pulling him back to the running water. "I'm really sorry, Eric. Um, let me get you some ice." I ran to the freezer and cracked one of the ice trays dumping two cubes into a clean rag by the sink. "Let me see your hand." I said, gingerly taking it and inspecting it again. "Is this the hand you're dominant with?"

"No, thankfully." He held up his other hand and wiggled the fingers.

I sighed. "Good. I don't know how to run the stove."

"I wouldn't trust you with the stove!" He laughed as I tied the rag with ice against his hand. He winced.

"Sorry!" I loosened it a little. "I'm sorry about all this again. If it feels any worse, just yell."

Mr. Webber stuck his head through the opening behind the cash register. "Bella, table nine has been waiting for you for ten minutes!"

"Sorry, Mr. Webber!" I called. "I'll be right there! Are you okay?" I asked Eric one more time. "I can get Angela to take the table if you need me to do anything else."

He shook his head. "No, besides, I only need this hand." He held up his right hand.

I hestitated a second and then ran out to the dining room.

"Anything wrong, Bella?" Mr. Webber asked as I went to give Eric table nine's order.

"No, sir. I'm sorry I took so long. Eric had burned his hand and I was helping him."

"He's all right, isn't he?" Mr. Webber asked concerned.

"He's fine now."

"Well, that's good." He glanced at the clock. "You'd better get going."

I set my stuff in the back and grabbed my back pack. "Thanks again for the chicken Mr. Webber. It was delicious."

He smiled and held the door open for me. "No problem." I waved to him until I had to turn the corner and then I ran to the bus stop to be sure yesterday didn't happen again.

When I got on the bus, I was met with comments all the way to my seat.

"That was a good thing you did yesterday."

"I got to my meeting just in time!"

"I'm glad there are some young people able to do the right thing!"

"You sure showed him!"

I mumbled some repsonse, trying to quickly get to my seat so the comments would stop. I was glad when I was dropped off without any incidents on the road or in the bus and embarrassingly waved to the passengers as I walked towards the library.

When I got there, I noticed more people inside. I told Sue this as I put my things away.

"I noticed that too. Too bad we're not paid for how many kids we get in here, right?" She chuckled at her own joke making me smile with her. "A new shipment of books came in for the encyclopedias, will you put them away, Bella?" She hauled out this huge box of what was sure to be heavy books. "They go over there and should already be in order in the box."

Over there turned out to be on the other side of the library and I was only half way there when I gave up and threw the stupid box on an empty table. Two at a time will take a lot more time, but it will save my arms the trouble of not falling off.

"Would you like some help?"

A tall blonde boy was standing to the left of me with his arms crossed. He eyed the books then me, and smiled.

"Um, sure." He went to lift it. "Careful, it's-" he lifted the whole box with one hand onto his shoulder. "-Heavy."

"Where do they need to go?"

"Over there." I said, pointing, then realizing it would be best if I led him over there. "If they're too heavy, I can help you carry them." I said lamely. It looked as if the box weighed less than a rabbit for all the force he was exerting.

He laughed. "Nope, I've got it."

When he set it down, I thanked him. "Um, I'm pretty sure I've got it from here." He didn't move. "You can go back to your work." His smile faltered a little. "Not that I don't... enjoy your company. But I have a lot of other things to do."

He almost pounced on that. "Would you like help?"

I tried to give him a reassuring smile. "No, I've got it fine. Thank you, though, for helping me." He paused a second longer and then smiled.

"It was my pleasure." He left with a backward glance that clearly said he would be back.

* * *

The next day my shift at the library started with a shock. There were more people in the library with more talking than reading. When I got up to the counter, Sue was laughing quietly.

"I've never seen so many boys interested in reading." She said, covering her mouth.

I struggled with my name pin. "What do you mean?" I asked, almost stabbing myself with it.

Sue shook her head and laughed under her breath.

I was suddenly aware there was someone standing in front of me.

"So, you're the new librarian?" The brown headed boy asked, pushing his glasses up nis nose.

I typed a few keys into the computer to get it working. "Yes. Can I help you?"  
"Sure. Would you go on a date with me?"

What? "What?"

"Would you go on a date with me? I'd be happy to take you anywhere you'd like and I'd make sure you had a good time."

Oh, boy. I stopped typing and tried to think of an excuse. "I'm sorry, I can't date right now. Can I help you with anything in the library?"

"Why can't you date?" He persisted.

"I have a lot of things to do, you know, this job, my family. I don't have the time." It really wasn't an excuse since it was the truth. I tried to smile and back away at the same time.

"Maybe next time then?" He grinned and winked.

Maybe not. "Sure." He left and I turned back to Sue who was trying to keep her laughter silent.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Another boy was standing at the counter. I turned to get Sue, but she was helping another student, a female, I noticed.

"Yes, what can I help you with?"

"I was wondering if you were busy later?"

You have got to be kidding me.


	3. The Offer

Well, this is a short chapter but an important one. I just wish I could have brought it out a little longer. The next chapter, however, is the longest so far.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything here except the syntax of the words and Peter.

* * *

Three days later it had hardly gotten better. Some of the boys had given up and hadn't come back, but once one left, there were two others to take his place. Sue was beside herself, mysteriously disappearing when another boy stood at the check out counter with a book he had obviously just picked off the shelf without looking at the title. I rolled my eyes when a boy came forward with a book titled, "Life as a Woman" and an offer to go out. I checked the book out for him and sent him on his way as politely as I could manage.

I couldn't understand it. The only solution I could fathom was that I was not someone that went to the school, someone they didn't see or had grown up with. I had always thought of myself as awkward and plain from the second I hit adolesence and this attention was unnerving. It got to the point that I dreaded with every step I took going to work at the University and that I busied myself in the deepest shadows of forgotten parts of the library for as long as I could before Sue came looking for me.

I felt I could breathe again when I heard it was exam day, meaning no one could leave their classrooms for any reason until lunch and then I would only have to deal with the unwanted attention for less than an hour and then back to a quiet day where I could read since I had taken it upon myself to organize all the books, file away papers, dust the second story to the library, clean the tables, and tidy the counter.

I groaned when the bell rang for lunch, watching the doors to the buildings fling open and students pouring out.

"Sue," I said, watching a group approaching, "will you leave the bleach beside me?"

She looked up from scrubbing an ink stain she had just spilled. "Why?"

The door opened and I cringed. "I need the protection."

She raised her eyebrows and then saw them too, bursting into laughter. "Now, Bella, they don't mean any harm. Why don't you give them a chance?"

"Because I don't have the time." I watched them throw their things on tables and rush for the shelves. "And Peter wouldn't let me anyway. Besides, I don't want to date any of them."

Sue looked like she was going to say something and stopped, tsking me instead and turning her back to me.

I knew I wasn't getting help from her and I was on my own so I pretended to prepare the already warmed up computer, getting the scanner ready when I heard, "Excuse me?"

I glanced up with my best face when I stopped. In front of me was the boy from before, the one with the car and the girlfriend and the commotion that he refused to resolve with the most stunning green eyes.

Was this day going to get worse?

He raised an eyebrow at me as if questioning my mental compacity. "Excuse me?" He repeated.

I blinked. "Yes?"

He smiled, a very charming smile that was meant to disarm. "I'm here to check out a book but I'm not sure what to look for and I was wondering if you had any suggestions."

I put on my best neutral face, hoping this was just as he said. "It depends on what you're looking for. A book for class? Non-fiction? Fiction?"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of psychology books."

"Psychology?" I started running the lists of psychology and where they were located through my mind.

"Yes," he said, smiling wider. "Do you realize you've turned down boys from very rich families? Not to mention stars of seven different team sports and even the soon-to-be valedictorian? I was hoping," he continued leaning against the counter, "that if I could find the right book on psychology, I would be able to understand your mind and what was going through your head while you did this."

I felt the blush heat my face and tried to keep from looking like a fish. "I'm sorry, but I don't see how that is your concern."

"I find it hard to believe the excuses you gave them. You don't have time? You don't want a relationship? Are you playing hard to get or is the thought of tormenting some of the best students in the school enjoyable?"

My face flushed deeper and I felt the anger roll in my stomach. "If you're going to be rude I think you should leave."

"I have no intentions of doing so nor was I intending to be rude. More like understanding. You've hardly been here a week and already this much attention?" He chuckled. "I had to see for myself who was so great to cause such a huge deflating of egos among my classmates. And I find that it's the girl from a few days ago who had the courage to inturrupt an important conversation because she had somewhere to be." He looked up at me through the bronze hair falling over his forehead and his lashes. "If I had known you had to be here I would have come sooner. Or at least driven you myself."

I swallowed, trying to search my brain for the words to make a good come back. "What is it you really want?" That wasn't one.

He paused for a moment, staring off into the shadows of the library. "Now that I think about it, the book would only give me theories about you." He finally said, bringing his eyes back to look at me. "So, I think the only solution is for you to go out with me."

I blinked and then floundered for a response. "What?"

He nodded slowly. "Or maybe, just spend a day with me. Really, I don't see much coming out of it, so you won't have to worry about it turning into a time consuming thing for you nor will you have to worry about that," he nodded towards the boys hiding behind a shelf, "if they think you're with me."

"And what if I said I don't want to?"

He shrugged. "Then I will put this out of my mind and forget about it and you will continue on with your day-to-day schedule, including most of the male population of this school who are unable to take a hint." He grinned at me. "Your choice."

There was something not right about this but I couldn't find it. Why wasn't I telling him no like all the others? Maybe because he wasn't as persistant as the others?

"What makes you think I'd tell you yes when I told everyone else no?"

He grinned wider. "Because I'm not like everyone else and I have a feeling you already know it." He let that sink in. "Meet me tomorrow on the baseball field at one." He winked and then turned to leave. "And one more thing." He took my hand and kissed the knuckles. Grinning at my heated face, he whispered, "That's for their benefit."

After he left, I wasn't bothered for the rest of the day. Everyone seemed to mysteriously disappear before the bell and for it I was grateful. Sue, who was tripping over her own graceful feet in delight, wouldn't drop it.


	4. The Date

So, things pick up a little around this time. And this is a longer chapter than the previous three!

Disclaimer: Do not characters or the reference about taking hands on the ice. The characters belong to Stephenie Meyer (except Peter. I couldn't do to her characters what I'm going to do to him) and the ice quote and very basic plot belong to the respectable owners of "Autumn's Concerto/Next Stop Happiness": the Chinese Drama.

* * *

I stood in my room, glaring at the clothes I had strewn across my room, willing them to make a suitable combination. Then I shook my head and picked up the green shirt by my foot. There was a knock on my door. "Come in, Sue." I said, holding the shirt up in front of the mirror. She came in smiling, her arms crossed, and a slightly smug look around her mouth. "Do you need help picking something out?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I've got it." I set the shirt on my bed. "Do you need help with dinner?"

"Not tonight. We're going to watch a movie tonight with dinner, do you have a preference?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm happy with anything." I stared at the green shirt and wondered what I was going to wear with it. I saw Sue smile in the mirror. "I'll call you when dinner's ready. You just make sure you have everything to make you beautiful, not that it won't take much." She rubbed my back before she left, leaving the door open a crack. I waited a second and then closed it all the way and locking it before I held up the shirt to me again. Whatever Sue saw in me was different than what I saw. The only thing I could take a compliment for was my how thick my hair was but that came from my dad. His brown eyes, which were so lively in his face were so bland in mine, and my mom's white skin with her long fingers that looked almost too long attached to my palms. I looked like a mouse. Sighing, I tossed the shirt over my shoulder and dug through my closet again, coming away with a white shirt and jeans and finally tired of searching, decided they would do.

I set them gently over the chair under my desk and then flopped on my bed. Why was I so worried about this? Or was nervous a better word? When I closed my eyes against my thoughts, I saw his green eyes and they sent a flutter through my stomach. I groaned and pressed my pillow over my head and pulling the covers over all of me, willing the butterflies to go away.

"Isabella! Dinner's ready!"

I struggled out of the burrow I'd created. "Coming!" I ended up tripping over my caught foot and landing hard on the floor with a loud thud. I tried to scramble out as fast as I could, but I couldn't beat the heavy footsteps and the violent turning of my door knob.

"Calm down, Peter," I called quietly. "I'm fine."

The knob rattled again.

Closing my eyes, I kicked myself free and opened my door slowly. Peter was standing there, blocking my way with a scowl on his face.

"What were you doing?"

"Nothing. I just tripped and fell."

He leered at me and then glanced at my hands. The simple glances made me want to shrink into myself. "Well, your mother has dinner ready. Come on." He stepped aside and I quickly went past him. Just before I made the turn into Sue's sight, I felt his hand touch the small of my back making me flinch.

Sue had made a dinner of roast beef sandwhiches, making a meal out of leftovers. We all sat down on the couch, balancing our plates and drinks in out laps. The simple VCR was whirring to life as Peter pressed play. It was hard to find any contemporary movies on VCR seeing as how hardly anyone used them now. So we watched the old movies we got from thrift stores. It looked like Sue had chosen a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers black and white movie, one of my favorites. There wasn't any sound from Peter, he wasn't a fan of these types of movies, but every once in a while I could hear Sue whispering the words along with Ginger while I whispered Fred's back.

I was appreciative of this because Sue got into these with me as bonding time after Dad had died because it was one of the few channels the old telvesions in the cheap motels would get. We watched these every once in a while, but mostly after Peter had gone to bed because we both knew that he didn't like them like we did. But tonight we were watching this as her silent motivation speech and 'have fun' for tomorrow and for this I felt my chest constrict a little.

Just as Fred was about to ask Ginger to marry him, I felt a hand on my knee and stiffened. Peter was taking a drink out of his glass with his eyes on the screen, but his hand hot and heavy against my knee. I gave it a moment and then stood with my plate and glass in hand. I looked at Sue as I said, "Do you want me to take your dishes to the sink?"

I closed my fingers of the dish rag while I watched the water run over the plates and fill the cups. The movie was almost over, I could go to bed without hurting Sue's feelings.

I didn't look at her as I announced, "I think I'm going to go to bed, Sue. Thank you for dinner and for putting this movie in." I wiped my hands on the towel and went to kiss her goodnight. "Goodnight," I said to Peter, making sure to walk down the hall at a normal pace and reminding myself to not slam the door. I locked the door knob, and then the lock above that, and then the one by the hinges. I made sure my windows were locked and then pulled the cutains tight. I checked to be sure my shirt and skirt were where I had left them and then crawled into bed, burrowing again into my blankets.

* * *

The morning light was so bright that I felt it through the blanket, which was strange, seeing as how it was rainy most of the time and the sky was always blanketed with grey clouds. I reached out for my alarm clock and missed it so many times I knocked it to the floor. Growling, I finally grabbed hold of it and then leaped out of bed.

How did I sleep through the entire morning!

I grabbed my bag for the shower and turned the water on so fast it was boiling when I stepped in. It was twelve and I was expected by one and I was rushing so fast it would be a miracle if my hair was completely clean of shampoo. I toweled down as fast as possible which made it hard to get into my jeans and I slammed my hip into the corner of the counter. I bit my lip to keep from crying out and continued to dress, ignoring the pain. I rushed through brushing my hair, enough to get the rat nest out and to make it in order and then threw it into a pony tail. I brushed my teeth as I ran out of the bathroom and back into my room to find the shirt I had forgotten. I threw it on and almost choked on the toothbrush when it got caught on the neck of the shirt. I grabbed my purse and was running out the door when I was stopped by Peter.

"Bella." He called. "I need you to take this to the school." He held up a package.

Since that was where I was running to I grabbed it and was sprinting out into the hall.

"Take it to the cafeteria and put it in the back freezer for me."

I stopped and turned around. "Can't you take it?"

"You're going there anyway, aren't you?"

"Yes, but that's on the other side of the school and I barely have time to make it now."

"I'm busy for today and can't take it. Besides, it's only a date, it's not important. If you're late, you're late, it's not the end of the world." He crossed his arms and leaned forward, a stance I had learned to take as his I-mean-it stance.

I had no time to debate this any farther and ran. I was hopping from foot to foot when the bus came and was almost bouncing in my seat when it pulled up to the school. I knew I was late as it was and I still had to rush to the other end of the school and then back. What if he left before I could get there and explain?  
I sprinted through the halls, glad it was a weekend making it deserted.

Almost.

I ran straight into something solid and knocked myself down, the package skidding three feet away. I scrambled for it but was beat by a large hand that attached to an arm that attached to Jake. He handed it to me and helped me up at the same time.

"You just can't stay on your own feet, can you?" He laughed.

"Guess not," I gasped and then went speed walking down the hall.

"Hey! Where are you going?" He easily kept up with me.

"I have," I panted, "to get this to the cafeteria and into the back fridge." I gasped. "And then I have to meet with someone and I'm already late." I glanced at a clock on the wall and sped up. "Really late."

"Is this person important?"

"I guess so." I answered, finding it harder to get the breath to answer.

Jake was barely speed walking. "Would you like me to take that for you?"

I almost stopped. "No. I can get it there." I passed another clock and broke into a run. "Eventually."

"Really, I wouldn't mind doing it for you. I have nothing to do and this person seems important. I know where the back freezer is."

I slowed down a little. "Are you sure?" If I stopped now, I could make it to the baseball field in less than three minutes if I ran.

He held out his hand. "Sure. Give it to me and go."

I considered it for a split second and then threw him the package which he caught with ease and I changed direction.

My chest was burning and my legs were aching, but I made it to the baseball field in less than two minutes.

I didn't see anyone there.

Gasping for air, almost embarrassingly so, I went through the gate and searched the field and felt my stomach drop. He wasn't here.

Well, of course not. I thought to myself. I took so long, he probably thought I stood him up. Fantastic. Maybe, if was found out that I 'stood him up' maybe those other boys would leave me alone.

"You know, with the way you were running, I'm sure you could join the track team. I don't think I've ever seen someone move as fast as you did."

I turned to see him coming out of the dug out, his bronze hair shinking almost red, a bat over his shoulder, and a look of amusement on his face. I stood straighter and tried to control my breathing. "I guess you're still here?"

He shrugged. "I see you've finally made it?"

I felt the familiar heating of my skin and could do nothing to stop it. "I'm sorry about that. I slept in and then Peter needed me to take something to the freezer-" I stopped, realizing how I must have been sounding. "I'm sorry for being late."

His eyes bore into mine for a second and then he smiled that easy, charming, smile. "It's no problem. You're here now and I'm here still, so it doesn't matter."

We stood there in silence, it felt like it was getting awkward to me. Me just standing there and his with a bat over his shoulder and this look on his face like he expected something from me.

"So, er, what did you have in mind?"

He held up the bat. "Batting."

I felt my eyes widen and then my body took a step away, as if it was programmed to stay away from anything that could injure other people. "I suppose you'll be batting the entire time then? Good, I'll just watch over there." Safely. Behind the caged dugout. Where you won't get hurt.

"Oh, no." He grabbed my wrist. "I'm teaching you how to bat. It's alright. I'll stand right behind you," he came in close proximity and stood right behind me. I felt my face flush again. "You put your hand here," he put my left near the narrow end of the bat. "And the other here," my right he settled where the narrow ended and the thick began. "Now, you spread your legs," he whispered in my ear, making my body tense, "shoulder length apart and bend your knees slightly. No, too much - there. Bend over a little," I had never felt as embarrassed as I did when my backside came in contact with his body. "And swing." I followed his momentum and body language to swing the bat, but it felt dangerous in my hands and I felt desperately flustered that I more or less jerked out of his grip; he barely caught the bat before it felt to the dirt.

"Maybe, I should watch you do this first," I tried not to stutter. "I don't think I could remember it all. I'm more of a," he took a step towards me, "visual learner." He seemed to find something funny in this and retraced his step.

"Alright."

He jogged over to home mat, confusing me. There was nothing to pitch with. Then I felt my stomach drop.

"You're not going to make me pitch, are you?"

"Are you telling me you can't?"

I opened my mouth to answer, nothing came out, and he laughed.

"No, I'm not going to make you pitch." He kept walking.

"Then what are we using?"

He went into the dug out and the reappeared with a machine that looked dangerous to be around.

"That?" I called.

He nodded, pulling it out to the pitcher's mount. "This." He set it up and motioned me towards him. I came tentativly. "All you need to do is push this button," he indicated a big red switch-like button. "And then I need you to move left because I'll be hitting that way and come stand behind me over there," he pointed to the off right of home plate. "That way, you won't get hit by the bat."

He sprinted back home and got into the position with such fluidity, I wondered if I had imagined it at first. He nodded and I guess that meant I had to press the button but when I did nothing happened. I looked at it, confused - how was I supposed to fix it?- when it shot out a ball with the noise of a small cannon, scaring me enough to make me jump back.

There was an even louder crack and I covered my head as the ball came sailing back over my head and landing so far out it banged against the fence.

"Get out of the way!" He yelled, laughing. I fumbled for my feet and scrambled to get out of the way as the thing shot out another ball. I got away in time to actually see him hit the ball with such an easy force that I already envied and a graceful arch to the ball that landed over the fence.

Not leaving his position and not looking at me, he called, "Do you want to try?"

I shook my head and then remembered that he wasn't looking at me. "No. I'll watch a little while longer." As soon as the crack of the ball went flying, I scurried past him and into the dug out, out of harm's way, and now I was able to properly see him swing.

It was much better than watching the games with my dad. I had never had much care for sports anyway, but this was different. I saw his body tighten just before the ball was sent loose, could almost see his face harden in concentration, and how powerful his swing was in his biceps and forearms. His face broke into a huge grin as he watched the ball fly way over the fence and was gone.

"Did you see that?" He turned to see my reaction but couldn't see where I had gone.

"In here." I waved. He caught my movement and jogged over, ignoring the ball being shot where he wasn't standing anymore.

"You have a nice swing." I said, impressed, as he came to stand in the dug out opening. I noticed he hadn't even broken a sweat yet.

"Do you want to try yet?"

I saw his form and almost grace just moments before and shied away from it. I knew for a fact I'd end up hitting him and breaking his jaw or something.

I shook my head. "For your safety, I think I'll watch. It's safe and more entertaining that way."

His face was one of speculation. "I doubt that." He held his hand out to me. "Come on, it's fun."

"Edward, no."

His eyes lit up. "So you do remember my name then? I was thinking you had forgotten it, Bella."

The way he said my name made me feel lighter. I bit my lip when he asked again if I would try.

"Here, I'll make you a deal. If you don't hit a single ball out of three, I'll tell all those boys to leave you alone. But if you hit one, I get to take you to dinner and something else."

"What else?"

He shrugged. "I suppose you'll find out. But no throwing the game. And trust me, I'll know if you do throw it." He gestured that I should take his hand. "Come on."

There was no harm in it, I suppose. There was no way I was going to hit any of those balls, not at the speed they were going, and surely he had enough reflexes to duck.

So I took his hand and he led back out into the sun and I waited while he went to shut the machine off. He showed me again the stance I should take and then showed me how to swing.

"Practice swing." He said, stepping to the side, coming up with a ball he had taken from the machine. He threw it at me lightly but I missed it badly and it went past me long after I had swung. I could see he was trying to keep from smiling as he pressed the button, motioning me away from the plate. While the machine spit balls, he came back and showed me how to stand and how to swing again but once he let me go, I was useless.

He came to stand behind me and covered my hands with his on the bat. "Here's what we'll do. I'll hold you here until the ball comes and then I'll let go and you can swing it by yourself, okay?"

"I don't think so. I don't want to hit you. And I will," I said as he opened his mouth.

"Let me tell you something that we have on the field. You know there's the batter and the umpire, right?"

"Sure." Another ball went whizzing by, slapping the fence behind us.

"Those two have to trust each other at all times. The batter has to trust the umpire to be fair and not cheat them out of a hit, and the umpire has to trust that the batter will never hit him with the bat intentionally." He took my hands again and pressed his body right against mine and murmured, "Trust me to know that I'll be fair and not let you feel embarrassed and I'll trust you to not hit me. Deal?"

I swallowed, apparently swallowing my words, and nodded. He tightened his hands over mine and we waited until it was safe to move back into position and he did as he promised, he fixed my position, held me there, and then moved to let smack the ball.

And I did.

It went nowhere as far as his did, but I had hit it. I laughed out loud, not believing I had done that when I turned to him.

The grin on his face meant he had gotten his way.

* * *

I was sitting in his car with as little as my body weight as I could manage. It was pretty bad if his car intimidated me. The silver Volvo made my stomach flip when I saw it, especially when he said to get in as nonchalantly as possible.

"Would you like to listen to something?" Without taking his eyes off the road he flipped open the capsule between us. "Pick anything you like." I don't even think I had seen that many CD's in my life. "Or, if you want, you can plug my iPod in and pick from there. It may be easier." He dug in his pocket and pulled out the newest model that scared me to even look at it. When we hit a stop light, he plugged it in and then handed it to me. Basically, I hit Play and was going to pretend I knew what was playing until I actually did.

"Air On A 'G' String?" I was stunned.

He looked surprised. "You know this?"

I nodded. "My mom had tried to teach me the song when I was young." I said. "But she wasn't a very good teacher and I couldn't get it right."

"And yet you're smiling about it?"

"Yeah." I looked out the window. "She may not have been a good teacher and I wasn't a good student. But we had fun doing it."

He didn't say anything else and when I looked over at him, he attention was on the road. I wondered when he didn't ask about Sue's skin tone and mine and how we could possibly be related but he didn't and I didn't bring it up.

The silence gave me the oppurtunity to listen to Bach and the beauty in the way he composed and played. I'd never pretend to know everything about classical music, I listened to it now and then, but it brought back memories that took my by surprise. I saw myself sitting beside my mother on the bech and she read with difficulty the sheets of music and tried to find the right key, laughing when she made a mistake.

"Always learn from your mistakes," she had told me one day as she found the right key and continued in an almost perfect melody. "Because if you keep repeating them," she pressed another wrong key, paused, and then moved to the left for the right one, "you won't move on."

My car door opening scared me.

Edward smiled and nodded to the large building in front of us. "We're here."

I got out slowly, looking at how huge this place was. "Where is here, exactly?"

"The skating rink."

"Skating?" I was not good on skates. I was dangerous.

"Ice skating, to be exact."

That's even worse. Roller skating had dull wheels. Ice skating had blades.

But he was already at the door and holding it open with an eyebrow raised in my direction. "Are you coming?"

I opened my mouth to warn him but he had disappeared inside. Sighing, I followed an prayed he would be the one to skate and I could watch. From a safe distance. Of maybe the top row of the bleachers.

He was already lacing up skates and when he was done he pulled out another pair of skates and set them beside him, turning around and searching until he found me. He motioned for me to sit beside him.

"You're about a size eight in shoes, right?"

I nodded and looked around the place. "Edward, it's deserted."

"I know."

"Are they open?"

"No."

"So, we can get caught for trespassing."

"You can. I can't,"

I felt something in my chest tighten. What if I did and got in trouble and Peter found out? "Why are we here, then?"

Mussing his own hair, he answered, "Because it's better when no one else is here. And besides, if we do get caught, you're with me which really means you can't get in trouble." He grinned and held up my skates. "Do you need help putting them on?"

I shook my head vigoriously. "No, no, I've got it." He stood in front of me, waiting for me. I sighed and began taking my shoes off but the thought of getting caught still nagged at me. "Why won't anything happen if we get caught just because you're here?"

"Because this place belongs to the school." By his tone of voice, I knew I shouldn't press. He was still standing, waiting for me to lace the skates, but just by looking at them I was scared. "You can go take a warm up lap." I said, desperate to find myself some time. "I'll... join you in a moment."

With a smile that sent my heart stuttering, he took off onto the ice and into a flawless, flying skate.

There was no doubt in my mind now. He was going to laugh at me.

I guess I tied my shoes while I was goggling him because next thing I knew they were tied and I was standing, trying to see him better and he effortlessly switched feet. When he noticed me standing, he made a show of speeding up and then sending a shower of ice in my direction.

"Come on." He leaned against the rail. "Are you ready?"

"Edward," I started.

"I'll hold onto you. I won't let you fall." He kept insisting.

"I don't know how to skate." I blurted. His skeptical look was disbelieving. "No, I mean, really, I can't skate. I'll fall and I'll probably take you with me."

A slow grin spread across his face. "Sounds like fun." He reached over and took my hand but I moved it away. His mouth turned into a line as he studied my hand and then my face.

"You know," he said, leaning forward again, "on the ice, if you give your hand to another person, it's the same as entrusting your life to him." His green eyes were clear as he said this, no hint of sarcasm or mocking. "When I said I won't let you fall, it's the same as saying I'll protect you. I'm not going to let anything happen to you," he murmured softly. I had never believed that a person could protect anyone or let nothing happen to them. But for a second I believed him enough to hold out my hand. He didn't smile, he didn't laugh. He kept staring into my eyes as he lead me unsteadily onto the ice where I immediately lost my balance and fell.

I felt so embarrassed not only for my fall but because I had just proved his words wrong. "I told you." I winced. The ice was hard and freezing, I could feel it through my jeans.

"As long as you get up, it doesn't matter. Just do what I do," he said, taking my hands. That was hard to do when he was gliding like a bird and I was the giraffe. I pushed against the skate and pitched forward, falling into his arms. Blushing down to my neck, I looked up and said, "Why don't I sit down?"

"Because that would be too easy." He chuckled. He turned on his skates so he was standing in front of me, took both my hands, and held my eyes with his. "Follow the motion of my body." He said, beginning to skate backwards. My feet wouldn't budge and I looked silly stretched out the way I was. "Bella." He gave a tug and my body followed. "Straighten up, yes, like that, now move your right leg, now your left. Good. See? It's not that hard." He went to let go.

"No! Don't let go!" His grip retightened and he skated closer to where out bodies were almost touching. "Right," he said, moving his left foot back and made me follow. "Left." He moved his right back. "Right, left, right, left." I couldn't believe it: He actually had me skating. Nowhere near as beautiful as his stride, but I was moving nontheless. "See? Now don't look at your feet, look at my face." I did as told and suddenly forgot what I was doing and I stumbled. But he caught me before I even fell. "I've got you." His voice was like velvet and warm and I trusted it. I trusted him.

We moved did two laps around the rink, both laps he helped me like a child but I never did fall again. We came to a slow stop, and the confusion must have shown on my face because he said, "We're going to try something different." He let go of my right hand but held onto my left as he swung himself to stand beside me. "Just keep your balance and you'll be fine." And before I could question what he meant, he took of in a single glide and basically pulled me behind him and it took everything I had to keep my balance. He looked over his shoulder and laughed, pulling my closer to him and we went. His body was behind mine, making it easy for him to reach for my unattended hand, twining his fingers through mine and squeezing. "Trust me?" He asked.

I swallowed and nodded and without another word he spun me completely around, scaring me enough to shriek, but I stayed upright.

"Want to do it again?" He asked in my ear. We were still moving at a speed I didn't trust but I found myself saying, "Yes," anyway. When he spun me, he completely spun me out and then back in, but I wasn't prepared for that at all so we did what I had feared the entire time and fell. I was supposed to go down first and was prepared for it, but Edward caught me around the waist and turned over so I landed on top of him.

There was a loud, dull thud as his head smacked into the ice. "Ow."

"Are you all right?" I asked him, wincing as I tried to sit up. His legs were tangled with mine.

"Yes." He wheezed. "Are you?"

"Yeah." I tried to push myself up, but slipped on some shaved ice and fell straight down onto his chest again. "I'm so sorry!"

He cringed as I tried to shift away and only ended up making it worse. "No, it's all right. I think I like it down here anyway." He tried to joke, and it would have embarrassed me but it was downplayed by him rubbing his head.

"Does your head hurt?"

"Don't worry about it. This is nothing to what has happened before." He let his head fall back and breathed in deeply, held it, and let it out slowly. I was feeling worse about this as seconds passed.

"Edward?" I was going to apologize again, and again after that, until he opened his eyes and I forgot what I was going to say. Why did this happen so often?

I realized that his eyes had gold flecks around the pupil and that there was a darker green ring around the iris. I noticed that his nose was straight, like a Greek's, and that he had a strong jaw line. I noticed his mouth was full and a pale shade of color against his skin and that his hair was a mess of red and brown, a strange and attractive combination. There had to be Irish in him somewhere -

The tips of his fingers touched my cheek and I froze. His eyes were so captivating, I felt almost trapped. Trapped and entranced. The palm of his hand was cradling my face and bringing it closer to his own, his head tilting slightly. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until I had to let it out and then I realized what was about to happen.

"Sorry, again." I said, pulling away. "I guess I'm not as coordinated as I thought." I was finally able untangle myself from him and somehow mangaged to get to my feet after nearly falling over again. He was still on the ice, his eyes penetrating me through his black lashes and my heart skipped. I gave him my hand and he considered. "I can get up." He got up with hardly any trouble. "We may have been in that same position again if I had taken your hand." He teased lightly. Then I felt his fingers between mine. "But I'll take it now."

I was happy to take the skates off, It meant that I was less of a danger. As Edward went to put our skates away, I couldn't help but think about what had almost happened. In all honesty, I have never been that close to a boy before. When Dad had died, Sue and I were more worried about how we were going to get by. And with how many jobs I had taken over the years, there was no way I could keep up with anything else.

In all honesty, how close we had gotten had scared me.

But I had wanted it.

And yet, I still pulled away.

I sighed. This was the other reason I didn't date: It was all so complicated.

"Are you ready to go?" Edward's voice startled me.

"Sure." I stood, noticing that I was wet from the fall. When Edward turned around, I saw the wet spot on his back. How embarrassing.

"Are you hungry?"

I blinked. "We're going somewhere else?"

He looked surprised that I had asked. "Of course. You didn't think I'd take you home without dinner, did you?"

I opened my mouth to tell him it was necessary but the look on his face told me otherwise. So I sighed in defeat and said, "Where are we going?"


	5. Lies

New chapter and finally things get moving.

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and it's recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The very, very basic plot of this story belong to the respected people who own "Autumn's Concerto/Next Stop Happiness." Words here belong to me.

"You cannot be serious."

He held out his hand for me to take to escort me to the door no doubt and that was what I used to lead me because the place was massive and I knew for a fact I was not dressed well enough to be even in the parking lot. Nothing in my closet would have been proper.

"Edward," I whispered. "Why are we here?"

He looked almost confused. "For dinner."

"Why here?"

"It was part of our agreement."

"Edward!" I all but hissed. "I'm not dressed for this! And I probably smell!"

"Nonsense." He held the door open. "You're fine."

I had no idea people got so dressed up for late afternoon, but I realized it when I walked through the threshold. And I could feel the eyes on me.

Edward flagged down a hostess while I tried to shrink behind him into the floor. "Table for two, please."

For a split second, I thought the hostess' eyes flicked to me as if she were sizing me before she turned and led us to a table in the corner of the room. I felt so embarrassed.

"Someone will be out to help you right away," she said to Edward, ignoring me.

When she left, I felt like I was deflating. Maybe, if I sunk down low enough, nobody would notice I didn't belong.

"Bella, what are you doing?"

Trying to disappear, I thought. Edward said nothing and then sighed. "Maybe we should have gone somewhere else. I didn't mean to embarrass you."

I cringed internally at that. I hadn't meant to make him feel bad or seem ungrateful. "No, it's fine really. This place is beautiful and I appreciate you bringing me here."

He didn't even let a pause sit. "But?"

"But," there was no point in lying. I was always bad at it anyway. "I don't belong here. I mean, look at this place, look at the people here, and then look at me."

He studied me, his eyes on my shirt before they traveled slowly up to meet my face. "I see nothing wrong."

I rolled my eyes. "Look, Edward, I-"

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Edward Masen. Or is it Cullen now?"

Edward's body tensed and his eyes hardened to someone over my shoulder. Turning around, I saw a dark skinned, tall, black haired boy from the reservation standing, his arms crossed. I'm pretty sure I had met him before but I couldn't remember where. Was he one of Jacob's friends?

He was tall enough that he could rest his chin on his folded arms as he rested them on the table while he squatted. Then he appeared to notice me. "Oh, are you on a date? I hadn't realized. Did you get tired of Kate? And Jessica? What about Lauren?" His eyes appraised me with mocking scrutiny. "I must say this one sure is better than the others. Oh, wait, isn't this the girl who works in the library? She doesn't even go to school does she?"

"Be quiet, Paul." Edward's voice was deadly soft and raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

"So, which is it? I have to make sure I call you by the right name and it gets so confusing what with your name being Masen but all these rumours flying around that your mother has got herself a new man." He tsked. "I haven't been so sure."

I went to ask Edward what was going on, but my words stopped in my throat. His eyes were hard, like frozen fire, and the stare - it was enough for me to sit back in my seat and let this work itself out.

The boy shrugged. "I suppose I'll keep calling you Masen, After all, nothing has been confirmed that your mother is a whore-"

Edward was out of his seat so fast I hardly saw him. He had the boy by the throat, slamming him into the opposite wall, almost shaking the concrete. The entire restaurant became so silent, I could hear Edward harsh breath from across the room.

"You listen to me," he snarled quietly. "You ever come near me again, you ever mention my name within my hearing and I will not be responsible for my actions. Do you understand?"

The guy's face barely registered as fearful, but he nodded. Edward slammed him again into the wall and then walked away, coming back to the table and grabbing his jacket. "Come on." He said to me. I was too shocked to think about not following, not that I wouldn't have anyway. I almost had to jog to keep up with him and tried to ignore the people staring and whispering behind their hands as we passed. Edward was doing a fine job of it.

It scared me, him being this silent. He said nothing as we walked to his car, got into his car, or drove away. I sat in his car as still as I could manage, afraid to ask what had happened, if he was all right, or just speak in general. Music still played from his iPod, but it didn't hold any beauty now. I didn't even know where we were going.

He drove like a maniac, not bothering to adhere to the speed limit, it was a wonder we weren't caught speeding nearly a hundred miles an hour. I crushed my fingers in the leather of the seat and held on. After driving for a while, he finally pulled into the parking lot of the school. I didn't dare move when he got out and tried to keep from flinching as he slammed the door harder than necessary. I was surprised when he opened my door and more or less scrambled to get out of my seat belt as fast as I could. In the process, I tripped and dropped my bag, spilling its contents into his car. Blindly, I bent to throw it all back into my bag, trying to not anger him worse. My hands were more or less knocked out of the way by his long fingers as he quickly made right my mess and held my bag in front of my face.

"Do you have a way back home?" He asked, not harshly, but the look on his face was the complete opposite.

I didn't ask for the time to see if I'd make the next bus. "Yes."

He nodded, turning his head to stare off unblinkingly. "Then I'm going." He turned back to me. "I'll see you later."

He stepped around me and strode back to his car. I watched his retreating back and waited for him to turn around, to look over his shoulder, something so I knew this day hadn't been for nothing. But he didn't. He got in his car and drove away.

The doors to the school were locked and I couldn't get in to check the time. I had to hope that I hadn't missed the bus to get home. If so, I was going to have to walk and that would upset Sue and anger Peter.

Sure enough, I had missed the bus. Sighing, I began my walk home, knowing it was going to take me a while on foot and knowing I was in for it when I walked through the door. What made it worse was the walk gave me time to think about today and how it all had been going so well until a little while ago.

He had been so patient with me when teaching me baseball and even more so teaching me to ice skate. He wasn't upset when I had fallen and taken him with me and had almost - no, don't think about that part.

I thought he was beautiful with a personality to match. But he had changed so suddenly in the restaurant, I didn't recognize him. His face had been so contorted with rage that I was frozen with fear. I had been scared to get in the car with him and even more afraid with the way he drove. And then when he left, just left without even looking back at me - did it mean something?

My head hurt going around and around. I would just have to think on this later. So much had gone on and I couldn't think about it all at once.

A horn blared behind me and for a second I thought it had been him coming back. But he didn't drive a Rabbit. Jacob rolled his window down with his eye brows furrowed.

"He didn't drop you off at your house?"

"I asked him to bring me back to the school." I defended, and then asked myself why. "I hadn't checked the time. I thought I could make the bus."

Jacob's face was always an open book to me. I could always tell how he was really feeling, even if he was trying to hide it. Right now, he had no problem showing me that he was not happy.

"Come on." He said reaching to open the passenger door. "Get in the car."

He drove me back to my house, but he put his hand over mine when I tried to unbuckled my seatbelt. "Bella, you know you didn't have to go out with him."

"Yes?" I hated that it sounded like a question, but he had taken me off gaurd and confused.

"You know you don't owe him, right?"

"Yes?"

He looked almost as confused as I felt. "Do you know who he was?"

"Another boy who wanted to ask me out and succeeded?"

Jacob's eyes were one of the fiercest colors of black I had ever and would ever see. He had moments when he would look at my face with this unyielding stare, making me feel as if I was being sucked into the void and lost, like now. He looked as if he was trying to find a reply while I was trying to find my way out of those eyes. He sighed and closed them, setting me free to turn away from his face. "Do you still have that Literature book I lent you?"

"Yes, it's in my bag. Do you want it now?" I was already hefting my bag to dig through.

"No. I just wanted to make sure. Keep it and study so you can ace the test." He smiled.

A test that was sure to not come for a long time, but I kept that to myself. I let myself out and waved to Jake at the threshold of my apartment building before I went up the stairs. I wasn't as late as I feared and was able to get back to my room without comment. Sue later came in to ask me how it went. Her smile was too big and happy for me to give her the whole truth, so I gave her the truth up until the restaurant. Peter stood in the doorway with an unhappy grimace around his mouth.

"How nice, the skating rink," Sue gushed. "Really? Well, I'm glad you had a good time. Are you hungry?"

"No, I think I want to go to bed early tonight after my shower. Thank you, though."

She nodded. "Well then, Peter and I will go to bed. See you in the morning." She kissed my cheek and shooed Peter away from my door, closing it behind her and leaving me with my thoughts.

I rubbed my eyes and thought how good a shower would feel about right now, wash off the red dirt from the baseball field, the ice from my hair, and the feel of those green, green eyes on me.

I was brushing my teeth with my dripping hair pulled back when I heard the noise. I froze, pulling the towel tighter around me and stepping closer to the corner where the door met the towel closet, the blind spot of the room. The sound of something walking carefully outside, knocking over the trash can, and then silence.

I held my breath to be silent. I heard the pipes in the house groan and the sound of Sue's television murmuring the nightly news and the wild thumping of my own heart. And then the scratching at the wall that made me jump and scream. But as I forced myself to calm down, I heard it was the scratching of claws, like on a dog. The sound of barking came through the walls and I sagged against the wall. Only a dog.

Before anything else decided to scare me that night, I changed quickly into my pajamas and then went to my room. Running a brush through my hair, I sat down on my bed and considered green eyes that had followed me throughout the day.

When Monday came and had me at the library, I was thankful to see that it wasn't as full as it normally was, funny as that sounds. Today, it was mostly students actually there for projects, using the computers or upstairs for reference books, or to read. A new shipment had come in and I told Sue I would take care of it and organize. She liked manning the counter and the students and they liked her smile.

While I was up there, alphabatizing a set of encyclopedias, I heard two students going talking in a row adjacent to mine.

"Did you ask him out yet?" One girl asked the other as she pulled a book off the shelf.

"No, I haven't. Every time I get near him, I feel intimidated and back off."

"Hm. Well, if you ever get the courage to ask him, I hope you have better luck than I did. Edward is pretty picky about the girls he goes out with, apparently."

At the name my ears pricked of their own accord.

"I heard that and I believe it. Don't you feel like when he looks at you, he's almost sizing you up? Like, if you're good enough to be around him?"

"Sometimes," the girl shrugged, taking down another book and setting it onto the already growing pile of her companion. "But I think it's something else than snobbery like every other girl thinks. But that could just be me."

Her friend almost dropped the pile of books in her arms and as she tried to straighten herself, she caught sight of me and nudged her friend in the ribs.

"See her?" She whispered, almost too low for me to hear.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"I heard she went out with Edward Saturday."

"No!"

"Yes, and, supposedly, he asked her."

The other girl looked at me closely. "Why?"

"I don't know, but she apparently has something we don't."

They gathered their books and continued their conversation as they walked down the aisles until I couldn't hear them anymore.

Something I had they didn't? I don't know what it could have been. Those girls were older than I was and much more attractive, probably with better personalities too compared to scrawny, quiet me. But their words sent a shot of butterflies in my stomach at the thought that maybe Edward had chosen me over them. It would be a first.

Finished with my work with the girls' words still in my head, I went back downstairs in time to help Sue with a growing line of students. Lunch was almost over and they needed to get their books before the bell rang and Sue couldn't get them through fast enough. I took half of the kids from Sue's line with a grateful smile from her and shot through the books with the check out scanner. And as I worked, I felt people staring at me. When I caught them, some looked away to pretend I hadn't caught them staring, others kept on staring like they were trying to figure out something from both genders. I ignored it all until I caught a conversation of two boys, both dark headed, in behind three people in my line.

"I wonder what Edward saw in her. I suppose in this light she does look hot, but if I had seen her on campus or even on the street I would have passed her without a second look."

"That's funny," his companion smirked. "I remember you telling me how you wanted to ask her out. What? Since she's rejected you, you're going to be immature?"

"Shut up, Tyler. She was a bet. She'd shot down all of us, the football quarterback, the soccer star, the valedictorian, not to mention the hottest guy on campus," he ran his fingers through his hair and his friend, Tyler, punched his arm, "and twenty more of us. It was like she could care less. So what does he do? He made a bet of it, telling us he's go out with her but none of us believed him. And what happened, the son-of-a-bitch did. We couldn't believe it. And from what Emmett is saying, Edward's got pretty far with her."

"Excuse me, could you please swipe my book already? I have to leave."

I couldn't believe it. I had been a bet?

"Hey,"

Everything I had thought had been wrong.

"Miss,"

And those LIES.

"Will you swipe the damn book?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

There must have been some look on my face because the boy in front of me suddenly lost the furious look on his face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"What? N-no, you didn't upset me."

He sighed. "Can I check out then? I have to be somewhere."

I looked behind him to the line of people that were all staring at me, impatient. "Sure. Sorry."

I was through with them in record time, working the fastest to getting the two talkers out before they could say a word to me. I had to get out. I had to think.

"Sue, I'll be back."

"Alright." But she looked deeply confused as I threw my name pin down and fled from the building.

A bet? A wager? A way to show off who was more a man by getting the librarian girl to say yes? That was all I was? Teaching me to bat, to skate, all that time, meant nothing? Those words he had said to me, about trust and protection, those were fake?

My head hurt. My eyes hurt. I crouched down in the shadows of the planted trees and forced myself to think.

The fact was, this was a boy who I hardly knew, but nevertheless I had come to enjoy his company and even after the incident in the restaurant, I couldn't make myself think bad about him.

Now the entire school thought I was a tease. Now, they thought I was toying with people and would soon enough think I was easy.

What had I done to him. Surely accidently making him fall didn't cause this? Something I had said? That I hadn't kissed him?

I rubbed my eyes with my thumb and forefinger and forced the tightness in my throat to loosen. Fine. This wasn't a big deal. This certainly wasn't the worse that had happened to me. I would just have to ignore the comments. Eventually, they would taper off. If there was nothing to fuel it, the fire would have to die out -

"May I inquire as to why you are on the ground?"

He was crouching in front of me, his arms crossed over his knees, his head slightly tilted, and a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth. The perfect picture of ease.

I hated him.

"I want to apologize for the other day-"

I stood and walked away, feeling words choke in my throat and a restricting pain tear through my chest. I was going home, away from this damn school with its well off students who needed to understand that just because they had money didn't mean they could do with whatever they wanted, especially when it came to other people. I'd find a job somewhere else, no matter how many bus stops or how far I'd have to walk.

There was a grip on my arm that turned me around and once again I was face-to-face with Edward. He opened his mouth to say something then stopped, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine. A crease appeared in between his eyebrows, his mouth turned down, and I couldn't look away from his eyes.

"What's the matter?" He asked me softly, stepping closer as if to shield me and it made me so angry. "What's happened?"

Furious words flew up my throat but when I wouldn't let them out, they built a dam until I almost couldn't breathe. Why did he have to keep toying with me? Why did he have to look at me as if he really card how much I hurt and how betrayed I felt?

I turned away, pulling my arm from his grasp. I got one foot march away when he took my hand and spun me around. "Bella, tell me what's the matter. I can't help if you won't tell me." But I kept my mouth a firm line and stared at him, the furiosity of it all was so intense I was surprised he didn't burst into flame.

"Did I do something?" He kept on, pulling his face away to look at me better. "What? What did I do that is making you glare at me as if you wish me dead?"

I turned away one more time, not wanting to talk, not wanting to listen, or give him the satisfaction of watching me break down, but he wouldn't let me. He pivoted me around so hard I swung into his chest where he crushed me to him with his arms. In my ear I heard, "Damn it, tell me!"

"You're a gambling man! Take a guess!" I blurted, shoving him away; He didn't even stumble. "What? You thought I wouldn't find out? That all I had been was a bet, a game, between you and every other male at this school?" I gave a second's pause to see if I could get a reaction out of him and to my satisfaction I found recognition and saw his eyes harden. At least he wouldn't play dumb with this. "I don't know what kind of girls go to this school, but I'm not one of them. I don't enjoy being played with. I'm not some prize you can show off like Caesar and his Triumphs! I said no to all of those boys because I am busy and I can't afford to lose my jobs or to neglect Sue. I didn't do it to play a game and I certainly didn't do it for popularity and I swore to myself to not waste time on boys when I had so much to do. And then you come along and convince me to go out with you and when I do, I think how great a time I'm having and that I want to know more about you and then this comes up! I find out that going out with me was just to prove that you had more skill in getting the tight girl to loosen up."

"Who told you?" I wished he would raise his voice because I felt like an idiot yelling at him when he was keeping his voice in control.

"I heard it in the library."

"Bella, you have it wrong." He started. I was thankful he didn't move to come near me. "You're right, I didn't care you existed until Michael, Tyler, Joey, and everyone else started talking about you. At first, I thought it was a game you were playing because that's what all the other girls did here at this school. But when each one kept coming back, Stephen, Charles, William, the men that all the females wanted at this school three times to say that they couldn't get near you, I wanted to know why. I wanted to know who this girl was that decided she wasn't going to play games but tell it how it was. And to my utter surprise, I find it was the girl who had stepped off the bus with her hands on her hips and a pleasing voice." He did incline as if to take a step but I immediately backed away. "It wasn't a bet, Bella."

"Then why did," what was his name? The boy just now from the library - "that guy, Tyler's friend, say so? He said that you were going to prove them wrong. And you've even told them you had sex with me?" His eyes were wide and angry and beautiful all at once.

"I never said that, Bella. I didn't say that to anyone."

"No? Then why is everyone under that impression!" I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. This whole thing was a mess. I should have known better than to let myself go with him. I should never have even let myself like him. "But I guess it's fine." I said, surprising myself at how calm I suddenly sounded. "I suppose it's only karma. Because, see, I heard these girls talking a week ago in the library about how you never went out with anyone and I made a bet with them of the same kind." Why couldn't I stop talking? What was I talking about?

He almost fell back. The look on his face told me he hadn't anticipated that, as much as I hadn't when it came out of my mouth. The look on his face told me that I had hurt him just about as much as he had hurt me. I pulled out some spare money I had in my pocket from my early lunch and held it up.

"Looks like I win." I said quietly.

He was silent, almost deathly so. I felt the air harden around me with his stare but I wouldn't back down. I would not be played with.

The bell rang over us, but neither of us moved. Students poured out of all the buildings, but stopped when they saw us. I was breathing hard with my feet apart and my hands balled, Edward was frozen, the only thing moving was his hair in the breeze. I felt like prey to a predator the way his eyes shined vehomently between the strands of hair.

Peeople nudged each other, pointing wordlessly to us and watching for the outcome.

Then Edward stood straight and gathered himself, his beautiful face hard; I felt very small compared.

"Goodbye, Isabella."

He strode past me into the crowd of people who scattered like a school of fish. He left me standing there as frozen as he had been, all eyes on me and the whispering began. It swirled around me like bees, getting loud as the news past. I didn't stay to hear the stories that were flying or the lies that were spreading. Unlike Edward, I had to push past people to get out and there were so many of them. Some tried to stop me to ask what had happened, others, more the girls, looked at me like I had deserved it.

I shoved my way through the crowd and kept walking. I felt numb, like I had been dunked in ice instead of feeling the warm day. I didn't notice I was crying until I had reached the woods on the opposite side of campus and I had stopped to lean against one. I don't know what I had done to be seen like that. I couldn't decide what had hurt more: that I had been manipulated into this image of a tease and easy or that Edward hadn't contradicted much. I put my head against the tree and cried.

I was walking home, hours before I was supposed to be home. I didn't want to go back. I didn't want to deal with the flood of people that would come in or the way that Sue would then ask me or that she would even know.

I had been a few miles from my house when the sound of an old Rabbit idled up behind me.

"Bella?" Jacob stopped the car and jumped out, wrapping arms tight around me. I couldn't help it, I was sobbing all over again.

"Bells," he murmured softly. "What happened?"


	6. Just Keep Silent

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! This is my gift to all who are mothers, have mothers, love their mothers, or because you're just plain awesome. Funny enough, there is no theme of Mother's Day in this...

I tried to get this out as fast as I could, but I've been busy. Sorry for those waiting. I think I'd like to dedicate this chapter to the reviewer who called themselves "Love to Read" for the wonderful review they left me. I wanted to thank you properly, but you don't have an account! But this one is for you in thanks. :)

DISCLAIMER: Twilight and all it's recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer and the very basic plot of this belongs to the respectable creators of "Autumn's Concerto." However, the words written here belong to me.

Thanks for reading!

"I'll kill him."

I sighed. "Jake, I don't want you to kill him."

"Who said anything about what you want?" He snarled. "I'll do it because I want to."

"Jake, it's wrong and you know it. Besides, I really don't want you to," I dipped my head to find his eyes he was hiding by looking down, "and you don't want to do anything I don't want to, do you?"  
His black eyes held mine and then he sighed too. "No, I don't. But what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find a job somewhere else." I said, stirring my water with my straw.

"Isn't that running away?" I shot him a look and he spread his hands. "Just saying." He put a fry in his mouth and I sipped my water miserably. "Are you going to tell Sue?"

I winced. "I don't want to, but I guess I'll have to when I tell her I'm quitting the school and getting another job."

"Why don't you come down to the reservation? I'm sure my dad could find you work."

"Thank you but no. I don't want to bother anyone down there and besides, the busses don't run that way."

"I'd come get you." He offered, stuffing another fry in his mouth.

I smiled. "Again, thanks, but you still have to go to school." My smile disappeared and my eyes narrowed. "Why are you not at school?"

He shrugged. "After that scene, I wasn't going to let you go off by yourself and mope." He leaned over the table then and made sure I was looking at him. "Listen to me. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, Bella. I don't want to see you get hurt like this again. Please, let me help." His eyes were a sweet dark brown and so honest and I believed him. Jacob and I had always been close. I couldn't remember a time when I didn't have him to talk to.

But, he hardly ever got his way with me. "I can't, Jake. I wouldn't feel right about it."

His shoulders dropped and he asked, almost defeated, "But you'll come to me if you can't find a job, right?"

I nodded. "Of course, Jake." He settled back and stared at his fries as if it were all their fault. "Now who's moping?" I teased.

"I was only kidding." He said lowly.

"I know." Why was he acting like this?

Then suddenly, his head came up and he grinned. "Do you want to come over? I've fixed the motorcycle. You want to see?"

Jacob had found a motocycle at the dump and had been all excited over fixing it for months. I never had any idea what he was talking about when he talked about the bike but I could appreciate the hard work I had watched him put into it on many occasions. So I was genuinely happy to hear it and agreed. "Yeah! But let's make a day of it this weekend. I want a lot of time to see appreciate it from a professional view." He cracked a grin then.

"You don't even know what a spoke is."

I ignored his comment and went on as if he hadn't said anything. "And I'd rather spend a day with you than at my house."

"You want to stay the night? You can use the old guest room. Dad wouldn't mind."

"I don't think Peter would let me."

"Why not? You're old enough to make your own decisions. Besides, we've spent the night at each others houses for years."

"I know that. But Peter has this ... weird thing about me being with guys in general."

Jacob wrinkled his nose. "Weirdo."

I nodded and looked out the window. "Yeah." I could just feel his excitement dissiapate across from me making me feel bad. "But I'll see what I can do." I said, turning back in time to see his expression lighten considerably.

That night I told Sue, as nonchalantly as I could, that I didn't want to work at the library anymore. She didn't even seem surprised that I had said it and I knew that news traveled fast to her ears.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Surely, she had heard it herself, even if it wasn't true. I was so drained at the time, though, that I didn't want to talk about it. "Well, I think you should go and at least work part of the day. We do need the money."

I knew that but I didn't like it. Sue must have seen that in my face. "You know what, why don't you go work with Peter? As long as you're working with either of us, you'll get paid." I forced a smile. "Sure. I'll spend the next few days working with Peter while I'm finding another job."

"Why don't you try to find one with Jacob? I know he'd like that." Sue knew Jacob almost as long as I had, from before she had married my dad.

"I don't want to bother him or Billy." I answered. "I can find another job, I heard that Mrs. Newton was looking for someone to help out at her shop." Sue put her hand over mine and an arm around my shoulders. "I know this is hard, Bella. But you've gotten through worse." She squeezed my shoulders and hand and then kissed my forehead. "I know you can get through this."

I nodded but looked away. I didn't want to tell her that this was different.

"You'll work the register. You have another job like this, you know what to do." Peter left me standing alone with this new version of a chash register because apparently pressing buttons was out of style. This alien of a machine was completely different from what I worked with at Webber's. It took me ten minutes to figure out how to turn it on and then another twenty to figure out how to open it with the password no one bothered to tell me about.

The cafeteria was always open because the students had the choice to get snacks or meals whenever they pleased because of all the different schedules. It was my luck that all of them decided to come in the first hour. The line was slow moving because I kept forgetting what code was which and how to open the drawer. By the time I got to the end of the line, they were not in a good mood and neither was I. I had to bite my lip and smile when they threw their money at me.

In the afternoon, I had gotten a better handle of the register in time for the larger waves of students coming in for lunch. As one student was paying for their cordon bleu and rice, I noticed a group of boys coming in the door and froze. There was Edward, laughing with a bear of a man with dark curly hair and with tissue stuck in his nose. It looked like he had been bleeding. Standing beside them was a tall blonde boy, lean, looking more like a runner than the other two. His eyes caught mine for a second and he looked at me with these intense light brown eyes, like he was studying me. When he caught me staring back, he gave me a small smile and looked away.

They joined the line, the bear pulling out two trays, the blonde one, and Edward didn't get one at all. The huge guy piled on food like it was going out of style, the blonde took a normal meal, and Edward hardly had anything.

I knew Edward hadn't seen me when he walked in or when he joined the line and he was too busy listening to his friend that he still hadn't noticed. He was probably expecting me to be in the library and not here. I was not looking forward to this.

But even as I felt the dislike grow in my mind for what he had done to me and for him himself, somewhere in me whispered that I maybe I had been too hysterical when I had confronted him. That maybe, it was as he had said. I buried those thoughts firmly.

He was still paying attention to what the big guy was explaining, wilding gesturing with his hands as he said it. I swallowed as he stopped by the register, his head turned to his big friend. I noticed the graceful turn of his neck and despised my eyes for it.

"Sixteen ninety-two." I said, looking down at the register.

In my peripheral vision, Edward froze, no longer listening to his friends. He slowly turned his head back to face me, but I busied myself with the register. If my hair hadn't been up, I would have hidden my face with it.

His friends had stopped talking too. Even the people who had been eating seemed to go silent. I wanted to disappear.

Silently, he pulled out his money and handed me a fifty. I took it just as silently, putting it in the register and pulling out his change.

"Keep it." I heard him say. The sound of his voice didn't sound angry or out of character. I chanced a peek at him and saw that even if his voice was normal, his face clearly showed me he did not like me. "Since you won the bet, this is my payment to you." Again, he left me standing there. Not that I had anywhere to go, but I felt humiliated and ashamed all over again. Perhaps lying like that had been stupid.

The other two stared at me as I forced myself to press the combination in for a new meal.

"Twenty-two thirty-four." I told the blonde. He never said anything as he paid, but I felt better handling him than I had Edward and come to find out, the big guy didn't care what he said.

"So, you're the one Eddie went out with?" He looked like a young boy when he smiled, a dimple in his left cheek. "I've seen girls do some nasty shit to him, but that was low what you did." I bent my head over the register as I calculated his order.

"Thirty sixty-nine." I told him quietly.

But apparently he wasn't done. "And you want to know the best part? I got my ass kicked because of something you had spread and I told someone else. If you didn't want people to think you'd slept with him, why the hell would you tell people?"

My head shot up so fast it cracked. "I never said I had." I said shocked.

He shrugged. "I don't care what you did or didn't say. You didn't even let him speak, did you?"

"Emmett," the blonde said, waiting for him behind me. "Leave her alone."

Again, the big guy, Emmett, shrugged. "Whatever. I just thought you'd like to know." Then joined Edward at a far table, sitting so they wouldn't see me. As they ate, I tried not to look at their table and failed, twice I almost calculated the food wrong for seperate orders. Emmett had a booming laugh I could hear from where I stood, but that was all I heard from them. They used the back way out and after that, I didn't see them again.

There were days where I worked in the kitchen and Peter took the register, but they weren't often. He had this demeanor that put people off and from time to time people did walk out when they saw him at the cash register. Other times I was sent to go give Sue her lunch in the library, which Peter had no care that I was trying to avoid it like the plague. It didn't matter, though, he was never there. At this point, my face was known throughout the entire university; whispers and comments followed me outside of the kitchen. Stares and nudging in my direction were unavoidable in the cafeteria. The students didn't say anything when they were paying, except for the few girls who had it in for me for hurting their precious Edward.

"I keep wondering when you're going to leave." One girl said to me one afternoon. She had dark red hair that curled all the way to her temples and eyes so blue they were almost cruel. "It's a wonder you show your face anymore. No one likes a slut, especially one that wants to sleep with every guy she meets."

Angry blood rushed to my face and melted my mouth together. When I didn't respond, she flipped her hair and flounced off. She wasn't the only one either, but they weren't often. Just enough time apart for me to almost forget what one girl said before another came by. I thought if I stayed silent they would grow tired of the taunting, but they didn't. It was almost like they would say whatever they could to get a response out of me instead.

The only place I could escape was Mr. Webber's where not only was I busy, but the people who came in knew nothing about what had happened at the university and were pleasent.

"Eric, I need the house order." I called as I passed balancing a hot plate carrying three orders of burgers and three drinks in one hand and carrying a set-down tray in my other. I picked the plate back up as I passed again and then tripped, landing straight in the lap of a tall, blonde man, spilling soup, mashed potatoes, and chicken all over him and me.

"I am so sorry!" I scrambled out of his lap and onto the floor, noodles hanging in my eyes. "Sir, I apologize profusely! Are you alright? Oh, look at your shirt! And your pants! Let me get something to clean you up!" I stumbled to my feet, but slipped on some mashed potatoes and fell again. The man, who didn't even look disturbed that a whole meal had been dumped on him, reached a hand out, grasped my arm and hauled me to my feet.

"I really am sorry, sir." I kept saying.

Out of all the things I expected him to do, laughing was not one of them. "Accidents happen." He chuckled. "I was needing an excuse to throw this tie away anyway," he added, showing me an expensive silver tie dyed grey because of the soup. "Thank you for giving me a reason."

"A-At least let me get something to clean you off with." I stammered, mortified.

"You don't have to," he said gently, wiping potatoes off his shirt. "I'll just go home and change."

"Please," I said. "It would make me feel better." When he nodded I led him to the kitchen where Eric was taking flipping burgers. He saw me leading in the man and shook his head.

"Good going, Bella." He smirked.

"Not now, Eric."

Angela came in the kitchen, putting her floor tray against the wall as she passed. "Is everything okay in here?" She asked, tucking her a strand of hair behind her ear.

I opened my mouth to answer, probably something borderline embarrassing, when I was cut off.

"We just had a minor accident." The blonde man was saying with a sincere smile. "It's getting taken care of."

Angela looked at me with a look of confusion and 'you-got-lucky.' I nodded. "Will you take my tables for me until I've sorted this out?" Without any other questions, Angela nodded.

"Let me get a towel," I said, reaching for a clean one under the sink. "Um, if you dry clean your shirt, I'm sure it will be fine." I said, not looking at him as I soaked up as much soup as I could. "Actually, let me dry clean it for you. I'm responsible for it so I'll do it and get it back to you." It wasn't coming out of his shirt. I wet the towel and tried again.

"I appreciate your concern," he chuckled, "but it really isn't a big deal. I have plenty more shirts to choose from." He stopped my hand with his own and looked good-humored like into my face. "Please, don't worry about it." I took a step back and felt the blush still over my face. This was so humiliating. "You don't look any better than I do," he laughed. "Why are you so worried about me?" He pulled the noodles out of my hair and threw them in the sink. "I think I'd best be going, I have to go change for work or my boss will laugh at me." With a true smile he left the kitchen and out the door. I more or less hid my face in my hands.

"You dumped the house order on him?"

"Not on purpose, Eric!"

Eric flipped a burger over. "You're lucky he wasn't pissed. He's not one of our regulars so he doesn't know you well enough to know you're not clumsy on purpose."

"Eric, you're sarcasm is unneeded." I grumbled, swiping crumbs off my shirt. "Do we still have the extra uniform?"

"In the back."

"You seriously need to quit."

"Have a new boyfriend yet?"

"I don't want your gross hands touching my food. There's no knowing where your hands have been."

"Bella, this needs to go to the headmaster's office. It's her lunch."

Every day at about one Peter would run really quick to the headmaster's office to give her her lunch. He and Sue had apparently told her it was their pleasure to do so.

I took the shopping paper bag of food and he took over the register, trying to smile at the girl next in line but it looked more like a sarcastic smirk. The courtyard was empty for once, no one to stare or whisper. But it was short lived as I entered the main hall and ignored the random students in the halls. But either than that, it wasn't as bad as normal. I didn't know when this was going to blow over, but from what I understood, Edward was the golden child of the Univeristy, and why wouldn't he be with his toused look, his green eyes, and his gentlemanly manner? Anyone would be fooled and charmed by it enough to get hurt in the end.

But I didn't want to think about that. I wanted to get a new job soon, put all this behind me, and never look back. But it was hard to do with a population of rich, college kids breathing insults down your neck.

I stopped in front of the headmaster's office and knocked without dropping the bag. I didn't hear an answer, so I gently nudged the door open with my hip, apologizing as I entered.

"Ma'am? I'm sorry to bother you, but I have your lunch."

I had maybe seen the headmaster once or twice on campus, but Sue sang her praises. She was supposed to be fair to her students and ran the school with tough love, as Sue put it. From what I had seen, she was pretty, like Snow White. At that moment, she was bent over something, her carmel hair hanging over her shoulder. When she heard my voice she looked up and smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you knock." She stood and came around her desk to gently take the bag from me. "Thank you for bringing this to me. You must be Isabella, right? Sue's daughter."

"Yes," I nodded. She was even prettier when she smiled.

"Will you thank her, for me? I have something very important I must-" something vibrated loudly, cutting her off. "One moment, please." Gracefully, she took the small silver phone off her desk and fliped it open. "Hello?" She paused. "Of course I do. I have some free time now. Yes, I'll be waiting." She shut her phone and set it down. "Isabella, will you please put this away for me?" She gave me back the bag. "I'm sorry, but I have to meet with a student now."

My stomach dropped at the thought, what if this studnet knew me? There weren't many who didn't. I could get fired before I had a new job. "Yes, ma'am." I almost whispered. I took the bag to the small refridgerator on the other side of the room, placing the bag just so so my face wouldn't be seen.

The door opened just as I was putting the food in, and I felt myself cringe. I was too afraid to turn around to see who it was. I heard someone sit in the chair in front of the headmaster's desk and there was a short silence.

"Will you talk to me about what is troubling you?" I heard her ask softly.

"That is not why I am here."

I froze, almost dropping the glass of orange juice. This just wasn't possible.

The headmaster sighed under her breath. "I'm only trying to help, Edward."

There was a slight moment of silence. "I know, Esme. I apologize."

I stayed hidden behind the table and bag and did not move for the fear that Edward would see me. Why hadn't I put two and two together? Headmaster Masen - Edward Masen. Which meant she was his mother, which also meant he had more control over me than I realized at this point. If he told his mother about me, she would fire me because it would be her son's word over mine. The knowldge that he hated me kept me still, but the curiosity of knowing something else about him made me move the tiniest inch to see the two of them. Edward's face was icyily composed compared to Esme's warm face.

"Edward, I know it's been hard since your father died, I miss him as much as you do. But I don't want you to continue dwelling on this. It's been years, Edward-"

Suddenly, he pushed his chair back and stood, striding for the door. "I did not come here to have this conversation. I have class, we'll continue this later." He stepped out the door without saying goodbye and closed the door. Esme stared at the door for a moment and then shook her head sadly before she put it in her hands. Quickly, I put the food away and, pretending like I hadn't seen anything, I stood between her and the door.

Quietly, I inquired if she needed anything else.

Her head shot up before she discreetly wiped under her eyes. "I forgot you were here. No, dear, thank you."

I nodded, wishing I could tell her something that would be appropriate, but I was afraid I would just appear a busy body. I reached for the door and tried to open it silently, but a person was blocking my way out.

It was the blonde man from the restaurant. He looked startled to see me, but then smiled. "We meet again. I see we both are clean now." He laughed, a sound that was charming and relaxing, easily able to put a person at ease. But when he looked over my shoulder, his smile disappeared. Esme looked up and saw him.

"Please, come in, Carlisle." She tried to give him a smile, but it looked fragmented, like she was trying to piece herself back together.

"Excuse me," he said to me. I nodded and slid around him. As I closed the door, he was crouching next to her, with her hand in his. Feeling like I was inturrupting an important moment, I closed the door without a sound and quickly sprinted back to the cafeteria, grateful to come out of that in one piece.


	7. Another Chance?

Sorry for the wait! I've been busy with the end of school and graduation. But here is this installation and I hope that right after this chapter what I want to get to really happens.

Read and review.

Love you guys!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any recognizable characters from the book series Twilight. They belong to Stephanie Meyer _

For days I wondered on what I had seen in the headmaster's office. It distracted my work at Webber's and my work at the university. I dropped two glasses, scanned three wrong books, and doubled an order of a student's lunch. They paid for it without question, but I still felt guilty over it.

He hadn't mentioned me at all, not what my paranoid mind was expecting. I thought for sure he was going to find some reason to fire me, again me and my paranoid mind. But I hadn't come up at all.

Edward's father was dead and he was still mourning him? But it had been years, or so Headmaster Masen had said. Why was he still upset over it. I wondered if it could have been worse than what had happened to my dad - but I didn't want to think about that. Whatever had happened was tramatic enough for him to hold on to it for this long.

"Bella!" I dropped a dish in the sink, splashing water all down the front of my uniform and soap in my eyes. I wiped at my eyes only to get more soap in my eyes as I turned in the direction of Mr. Webber's voice. I exclaimed in frustration, trying to open my eyes to see my boss.

"I'm sorry, Bella!" He apologized, taking a clean wash cloth and wiped my eyes and then my fingers like a child. "I didn't mean to startle you, I was just thought you'd want to know you've been cleaning that plate three times now. I'm pretty sure it's clean." He wiped the rest of the soap off my fingers and threw the rag over the side of the sink. "What has got you so distracted? The past few days you've been staring into space and dropping my dishes." Even though he said this nicely and very concerned, I still cringed. "Are you alright? You're not sick are you?"

I shook my head, throwing my distractions out with each shake.

"Well, if you're alright, will you please put a little more effort into your job?" He asked kindly. "You're one of my hardest workers." He pat me on the back and left. Eric came in after him, done with his break, giving me a serious look through his black bangs. "What's with you lately? If easy going Boss has to come speak with you, then it's pretty bad."

"It's nothing."

At least it shouldn't have been. Why was I still going on about this? What was with me? The guy had thrown my name out there and labeled me easy, had used me, and then tried to play it off like he hadn't. And I was still holding on to him? I had gone on one date with him and had known him for all of ten minutes before that.

Yes, there was something wrong with me.

"Well, if it's nothing, then get your head out of the clouds and work."

I tried harder at the University and it did go better than it had. The comments were dwindling, but still there. People ignored me mostly when I made errands through the halls. I hadn't realized the past few days. Maybe being out of it had helped.

I was in the back of the kitchen stacking the trays for the next period when students were allowed out. Peter came in with more dirty trays under his arms and shaking his brown head. "Damn kids." He muttered. "If I have to clean one more table of their trash-"

"We don't have a choice," I said, setting aside another tray. "Not if we want to keep our jobs."

"I don't need your sass." He growled. "I get enough out of the brats here."

"Sorry, Peter." I demured.

He shot me a look and said, "What?"

I let out a breath, feeling him standing behind me, breathing. "Sorry, Dad."

He stood a moment longer behind me and then walked away. I shuddered lightly, finishing the last tray of my stack and then working on the stack Peter had brought in. I made sure to not touch where he had.

When Edward had come into his mother's office (I still couldn't believe I hadn't put two and two together) he was different; There was a coldness there that I hadn't seen. What was going on? I remembered when my mother had told me that people have layers and it takes certain people to dig down deep to the others. Is that what was going on with him? But if that was true-

Stop it, Bella, I told myself, it's over, he's not your problem or has anything to do with you anymore. In time he will forget about me and I will forget about him and nothing will become of this.

I tossed my rag and gloves into the sink, ignoring as they sank into the dirty, draining water. Peter was out of sight for who knew how long and the cafeteria was empty so I was going to take this chance to take a quick break. I sat down at the counter by the window, putting my head in my hand and breathed. It was nice outside for once, the sun was faintly shining through the blanket of clouds and the temperature had risen ten degrees since that morning, making it about sixty. I looked around the grounds where some people were spread under trees doing work or maybe just skipping.

I wondered when I would find another job. Times were bad at this time, with jobs disappearing and incomes going down; Sue and I would know. But the income and hours here weren't as bad as outside, and if I left, we may suffer financially.

I sighed, knowing there was no way I was going to quit. Surely, in a few weeks the comments would die. And if I stayed - maybe I would figure out more of Edward. I knew that look he had on his face when he was in the Headmaster's office. He kept up a facade of neutral normality when on the inside he was in pain.

Those eyes - if a person looked close enough they could read anything. The depth of green was amazing, getting darker as it reached the pupil. I remembered how intense they were when he was furious at the reservation boy at the restaurant, the look of surprise when I told him I was playing the same game he was, and how beautiful when we had fallen and the darker they became as he leaned in, almost -

"What's up, Bells?" Jake put his hand on me, startling me so hard I almost fell out of my chair, and he sat down beside me chuckling. "What were you thinking about so hard? Bad things?" He nudged me in the side. I felt my face burn. "Were they about me?" He continued to tease. I hid my face in my hands and slumped onto the counter. The empty room boomed with his laughter.

"Bells, you're so easy to tease." He put an arm around my shoulder and shook my shoulders. "So, are you coming over this weekend?"

"I don't know."

"That's what you said last week."

I let out a breath. "I'll try to talk to Peter."

His face turned angry. "Bella, you're nineteen. You're an adult. You don't need his permission to do everything all the time."

I turned my face away. "I know. But I think he needs some sort of feeling of being an authority figure. He never went through being a father."

"Sounds more controlling to me." Jake grumbled, taking his arm back.

I changed the subject. "So what are you here for?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm skipping."

"Jake! You can't!"

"Why not? Skipping is good now and then."

"Jake, you could get kicked out if you're caught!"

"Bella, I'm not gonna get caught. Trust me. If anything, I'll tell them that they're persecuting me because I'm Indian."

"Jake!"

He shrugged and grinned like a child. "Gotta do what you gotta do." I sighed and hit my head twice on the table. "Aw, I'm just kidding."

"I want to go to sleep." I muffled. He laughed. "Not funny."

"Sorry, sorry." He got up to leave. "I suppose I'd better go back to class. I think I've spent enough time in the 'bathroom.'"

I rolled my head to look at him. "You like making me worry over you, don't you?"

He just flashed me his teeth and left out the door. I laid there for a moment longer, then slowly got to my feet. The floor wasn't going to mop itself.

While I was mixing cleaning fluid with water, the door burst open again, Jake coming back in with his hair coming out of the pony tail. I leaned against the mop handle.

"Something happen?"

"Nope. I just remembered that that book I let you borrow, I need it to study. The English book."

"Oh, right. I have it here."

If I had been smart, I would have looked through it more thoroughly to study for the exam I was... hoping to take. I ran for my bag and while sifting through it, tossed over my shoulder, "Oh, I probably won't be looking for another job."

"Why?" He called through the door.

His book was gone.

"Bell? Why aren't you looking for another job?"

I pushed books around, looked through papers, threw out my change of clothes. His book was not here. I panicked and began dumping out the contents on the counter.

"What's the matter? Lost something?"

"Your book!" I exclaimed. "It's gone!"

"Gone?"  
"Yes!" I frantically looked through the pockets in front of my bag. "It's not here! I don't know where it's gone!"

Jake looked over my shoulder and moved things around calmly. "It's not that big of a deal, Bella. Maybe you left it at home?"

"But I didn't!" If Peter had found my book, I would have been in trouble. "I always carry it around with me. I don't even take it out unless I'm looking through it!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"And it's not at your house?"

"No!"

"Did you drop your bag at any time?" Why was he being so calm? These books were expensive and he wasn't even supposed to be letting me borrow them to begin with. It was because the books were so expensive that they didn't let students loan them out or leave them in classrooms. If they were caught doing so, they would have to pay double the price. And if you couldn't pay, you were kicked out of the school.

"I don't think so! The last time I last time I even remember is when I was with -"

I dropped the bag.

"Bells? When you were with who?"

The blood drained from my face. "Edward Masen." I whispered.

The place was very quiet to me. This couldn't be happening.

"Are you sure, Bella?" Jake asked; I could hear the tension in his voice.

"I don't know where else it could be." I answered. "The last time I remember looking at it was the day before I went out with him. And I remember that after the reastaurant disaster, when I tried to get out of the car, I dropped my bag. I just started throwing things back in and getting out. He helped me."

I was going to get Jake kicked out of school. After all his hard work in getting into the school and paying for it, I was going to ruin it all.

"I'm so sorry, Jake."

"I'll get it back." His face was like set in stone. I cringed away from it.

"No, Jake. I'll get it. There's a better chance of me begging for it than you trying to get it back by force. He has to know it's not my book and it was in my possession. And if my worst expectations came true, he would not only have me fired but Jake would be kicked out faster than he had a chance to explain himself; not that his explanation would hold anything here but still it was all my fault-

"I'll go talk to him. Now." I took my apron off, wadding it and throwing on the counter. "Right now. I'll get your book back, Jacob."

"Bella, you don't have to-"

"No, I do have to. I will not have you kicked out because of me. Me and my idiot idea that I could get out of here and I - I'll get it back."

"Bella!" Jacob called, but I ignored him and moved fast enough so that I could have the advantage. I went in the first door leading into the building, racing down the hall until I came to a turn down another hall and stopped. What class was he in? Was he even in class? I peeked into the nearest classroom through the window in the door, but once a student made eye contact with me, I disappeared.

"Damn it," I whispered harshly. He was avoiding me just as hard as I was avoiding him, there was no way he'd come to me. But he wouldn't. He'd go straight for the headmaster and tell her what he thought to be true, whether it was or not, and she'd believe him.

The bell rang shrilly, scaring the daylights out of me. Doors were thrown open and students thronged the halls, pushing past me as they went. I had to get back to the cafeteria or face Peter. The next moment I had, I'd find the book. I'd do whatever it took to get the book back.

I listened carefully as I gave out orders, serving and charging. If I listened hard enough, maybe I could find where Edward was. His friends still came in for food now and again, not as often as before and never with Edward, but always with the same girl or two. Later that day, when Peter put me on cleaning duty, I made sure to stay near that group, finding any excuse to clean around them.

A tiny girl, sitting beside the blonde boy, was playing with an apple, tossing it back and forth from her hands, spinning it every once in a while. I heard her tinkling laugh as she nudged the blonde boy and said, "So, we're meeting Edward outside after school?"

Her companion turned his attention to her; the way he looked at her said she had his complete an undivided attention. "Yes. We're going back to the house to pack."

"But we're meeting him right outside the school? At three?"

Blonde raised an eyebrow and nodded. She smiled dazzingly and thread her fingers through his.

In front of the school at three. I could do that; I could sneak away from Peter for ten minutes and be back in time before he knew I was gone and still have the cafeteria cleaned on time.

"Excuse me?" A voice like a wind chime made me look up. The astonishing blonde girl sitting beside the huge bear like man was leaning towards me, both her perfect eyebrows raised, and her mouth set in a firm line. "You've been over here three times already. Is there something you need or is that table really that dirty?"

The entire table had turned to look at me. I felt my entire face go up in red heat. "Sorry." I said, quickly balling my rag and walking away as fast as I could. I heard their murmurs behind me and felt my face heat even more.

But I had what I needed.

Two thirty came around. By that time, Sue had joined us and I asked her if I could leave for a minute, that I would be right back.

"Of couse." She said. "I'll tell Peter you went out on an errand for me."

I was across the grounds in no time and nearing the front of the school in even less time. My legs ached and my breath was coming harder than normal, but no one was around and that's the way I wanted it.

But when I got there, literally no one was there. I scanned the whole area and no one. I ran my fingers through my hair and sat down on one of the benches. I could wait, unless he was going to show up at three; I didn't want another scenerio like the last one.

I sat there for ten minutes and still no one came. I was getting scared and paranoid at that point. What if he was in the headmaster's office now? Or what if he had seen me here and left? Many different outcomes plagued my mind that I was oblivious to the approaching footsteps.

"Is there something you need?"

After weeks and still I could recognize his voice. Biting down hard on my lip to keep my calm, I turned to face Edward. The wind was blowing his already messy hair, and the coldness was putting color in his cheeks, accenting the green on his eyes -

What was the matter with me?

"Im here to get my book back from you."

His eyebrows rose. "Your book?"

I swallowed. "Well, it's my friend's book. See, he left it at my house and I was going to give it back to him but kept forgetting and when I dropped it when I was out with you, you must have taken it and now I need it back."

He was silent for a moment, one eyebrow still raised. "And why doesn't he come to get it back?"

I thought for maybe a moment too long. "Because he doesn't know you. And I told him I knew you and would come get it."

"Bella, you are a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying." I said quickly.

He smirked and reached into his bag to pull out the book. I reached for it, but he took it out of my reach and started flipping through it. "Correct me if I am mistaken, but this book says it belongs temporarily to a Jacob Black. Yet, this handwriting," he showed me the page with my writing in pencil, "is obviously a female's. And by how hard you are trying to get it back, I would assume this handwriting is your's. I would also have to assume that you are borrowing this book from him, which is against our rules which I would also assume you know, and that you must get it back to him before anyone can catch you and possibly kick him out of the school. Am I correct?"

I didn't want to dignify that with an answer.

"Now, Bella, I would assume you really want this back, correct?" He handed the book closer, but I waited for the catch before I reached for it. "Take it, Bella."

I kept my eyes on his eyes, watching for a sign of falseness or deceit. But I didn't see any, only blank sincerity. I thought that maybe he wasn't so terrible after all.

Until he caught my hand with his when I was in reach. When I tried to yank it back, he wouldn't let me. He only stepped closer.

"Bella, I want you to listen to me. I want to make something very clear: I did not say anything about you after our day out. What ever you had heard was only the distortion of the little I did say. I am not the type of person to spread rumors around about someone like you."

I just stared at him, wondering if I stared hard enough if I could set his beautiful hair on fire.

He sighed and let go of my hand. But when I tried to snatch the book, he jerked it out of my reach.

"Edward, give me back the book."

"You have to do something for me."

I was going to regret this.

"What?"

"This Friday, I want take you out again."

I tried to reach for the book again, but he took it farther out of my reach. "No."

"If you will please let me take you out again, I will give you back the book."

I gave an unladylike snort. "Sure. After you've told your mo- the headmaster about it." I wondered how mad he would be if he knew I knew his mother. His eyes did narrow, but his voice was calm as he said, "If I had wanted to get you in trouble for this, would I not have already done so?" Good point. "However, if you continue to be so opposed to giving me another fair chance, then I will go to my mother. I may not give your name, but I cannot do anything about this Jacob Black."

My eyes narrowed and, with ernest, I tried to light his hair on fire. "Don't you dare."

"Agree, then."

I looked from his face to the book and back again. I weighed the options: go out on another date with him and possibly get the book back, try to reach for the book now and not succeed, or decline and find some way to sneak into his bag later on. I sighed.

"Fine." I mumbled. I didn't want to look at his face. "What time?"

"I'll come get you at about six." He tucked the book back into his bag.

"Hey! Give my back the book!"

"No." He grinned. "I'll keep this as guarantee that I will be seeing you again." As he tucked it away from my sight I bit down on my tongue to keep the unladylike words to myself. "I'll need your address tomorrow to come get you."

"I'll just meet you somewhere." I grumbled. "Easier on both of us."

He declined. "No. I will come get you. I asked you, I will take all the responsibilites." I stared long and hard into his face, wondering where the catch was. If it wasn't here, it was sure to be somewhere down the road.

But for Jake, I'd take the catch and the consequences, as long as he was safe.

I sighed again and rubbed my arms. The chill was worse with the wind blowing. I was going to freeze walking home.

Distracted as I was, I felt the heaviness of an already warm coat. Edward was backing away from me, his coat around my shoulders. "I don't want you to catch sick." He said simply at my dumbfounded stare.

"I don't need the jacket." I said, feeling the burn down my neck and wishing it would just go away. His hands stopped mine and I realized how close we were. "Keep the jacket in return for the book. Give it back to me when I give the book back to you. It's your guarantee that I'll keep my word."

I was stunned with how close he was. I felt the heat from him surrounding me and a smell too wonderful I wanted to bury my nose in it. But I stopped myself. I only turned away and walked back to the cafeteria, coming up with a story to tell Peter as I went. Right as the bell rang, I turned around, wanting to see Edward before I turned the corner. I caught one glimpse of him staring back at me, a smile on his face before people filled the gap between us, and he disappeared from my sight.


	8. Heartbeats

FINALLY! I know this has taken me a while, but this chapter should make up for it! This is a whopping NINE PAGES on my computer. And oh-em-gee I'm so happy about the end. Any mistakes I hope will be forgiven because I wanted to get this too you all as fast as I could. My computer decided "Oh, this story Autumn's Concerto? I don't like it. DELETE!" So if there are any mistakes, I'm sorry and please tell me if there is anything that is not right, I will fix it immediately. Thank you to all who have read and reviewed! Now, if you would be so kind as to read and review again, I'd be wonderfully happy. :) Thanks for sticking with me so far.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of its recognizable characters. All that belongs to Stephanie Meyer.

AND BEFORE I FORGET: Peter is not the same Peter from Jasper's past. It wasn't until a little while ago that I realized that there was a Peter in the Twilight saga and I was like *facepalm* My story's Peter... the things he does and what I'll do to him I didn't want to do to any of Stephanie's characters, so I created him on my own. His name I picked out of the air. Scout's Honor.

Read and Review!

I laid on my bed, going rapidly through the entire scenario of before and what might happen to this after. After spending a good amount of my night staring at the ceiling, I decided it might be good to draw myself out of the camatose state and crawl out of my hole I called my room for a while.

Most of the lights were off around our small house leaving me to wonder just how long I had been back in my room. This almost-obsession with Edward Cullen may not be healthy for my mental state.

Sue was sitting in the living room, a dog-eared, worn book in her hand. Her eyes flicked back and forth between lines leisurely, as if she had all the time to read. When she heard my foot falls, she glanced up and smiled.

"Hey there, sleepy head." She said warmly, setting her book aside and patting the space beside her. "Want to sit with me? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long."

I took my spot beside her, her familiar warmth was comforting, especially when she put an arm around me like she used to when I was younger. "So, what have you been up to?" She asked, her voice casual and lilting. I suddenly felt tired enough to wish I had stayed in my room. "What's the matter?"

"I... I don't know." I confessed. "I'm kind of confused."

"Is it a boy?"

My head swiveled back to face her. "How did you know?"

Her eyes softened and crinkled a little at the corners. "I remember having that same look on my face when I met your dad. You feel like nothing is making sense, right? That you want to go one way while at the same time going the other?" I nodded. "Completely normal." She announced. "Who's the lucky boy?"

"He's... strange." I said, purposefully avoiding the question. "One minute he's kind, the next he's ignoring me like the plague. And I feel like I'm going to go crazy, especially when I want to like him but I also just want to run away and not look back." I fell against Sue's shoulder and sighed. I seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "I'm so confused."

Sue was quiet, absentmindedly rubbing her hand up and down my arm in thought. "Well, maybe he's just as confused as you are. Maybe he's being bi-polar because he doesn't know what to do or say around you." She squeezed my arm lightly. "You can be intimidating."

I grumbled, "I don't mean to be."

"What's he like?"

"Apart from bi-polar?" I thought a minute. How could I describe what I saw without sounding obsessed? "He's very gentleman-like, no matter what. But when he gets angry, it's scary. But when he's normal, when he's being himself, he's patient and understanding and graceful. And he has these eyes that if you look straight into, they will show you everything he's thinking."

"Sounds like you're in deep."

"I am not."

"Bella, that look on your face is not 'I-know-a-cute-boy' look."

I didn't want to have this conversation anymore. "Sue, do you miss Dad?" I felt childish for asking it, but he had been on my mind for a while; him and Mom.

Sue's features softened, almost aging as she said, "I miss him every day."

"I do too." I caught myself off guard with the turn of conversation, and I felt bitterness I hadn't felt in years. Bitterness and sadness and childish. "I told him to be careful. I always told him to be careful. And the one time I didn't-"

"Isabella, you had nothing to do with his death." Sue said, taking my hand and clutching it hard in her fingers. "You loved him and he loved you and that's all I want you to remember. That's what he would want you to remember. He's been gone for three years now, sweetheart. Let this guilt go."

I nodded, but I didn't know how to let it go. "I have a date this Friday." I said quietly. "Do you think you could tell Peter I'm at a friend's house?"

Sue cocked her head. "Why should I lie to Peter? You're not going somewhere you're not supposed to, are you?"

I shook my head, searching my head for a way out: A lie I would have to convince her with. "No, no. But you know how... protective he gets over me and boys. He nearly drills holes with his eyes into the heads of the boys who go through the lunch line, and I hardly speak to them. I just... don't want to worry him."

Sue smiled and smoothed my hair back. "Well, then, I can do that for you. This Friday?"

"Yes."

"Alright then. I'll tell him you've gone to Angela's."

"Thanks."

"But I have to meet this boy." I grimaced but agreed. She just chuckled and then sent me back to bed.

"Aren't you going to bed?" I asked her from the hallway.

"I think I'll read for a little while longer. If you need anything, I'm right here or down the hall."

"I know." I went back to my room and locked my door, the lock above it, and set the chair against the door knob. I turned on the lamp by my bed before I turned off the main lights. I pulled my hair back into a loose pony tail and threw myself on my bed. I'd see him again tomorrow and hopefully I'd keep a straight mind. And then I'd see him the day after tomorrow for the "date." Between now and then, I would figure how to get him to talk. I thought I deserved to know why he would spread such nasty rumors about me around the school when I had done nothing to him.

I stayed up contemplating what I would do long enough to hear Sue go to bed. It wasn't until a little later, long enough for her to go to bed, that I heard my door knob turn almost discreetly with someone trying to get in. I lay staring at the dark ceiling, not moving, as the locked knob turned once then twice, then nothing.

I was in the dark shadows of the freezer when I heard the bell beside the cash register go off, telling me someone needed my attention. I came out immediately and stopped. Edward was leaning against the tray counter, looking more like a model than a person had the right to. And he was in the middle of a flourescent lighted cafeteria for Pete's sake. I was in my uniform for those on the school's payroll with my hair pulled back with ten bobby pins and felt stupid beside him. He glanced over to me and gave me a small smile. I tried to smile back but I was afraid it would come out like a grimace so I didn't.

"Hello, Bella." He said pleasently.

"Edward." I cautiously replied. Something seemed funny to him because he chuckled under his breath but then composed himself.

"If you still agree to go with me tomorrow, I will need your address. I know this is a bit last minute and I apologize."

"Edward, please, let me meet you somewhere."

"I said I would come get you at your house. I don't feel right about making you search me out."

"Yes, well, I don't feel right about letting you step foot in my house with my step-dad." I grumbled.

"What's wrong with your step-dad?"

Dang it. He wasn't supposed to hear that. "He's just... protective."

Edward let out a breath, running a hand through his hair. I noticed again how long his fingers were and wanted to slap myself. "Would it make you feel better if I picked you up outside where you live?"

"Sure." I said quickly. "A block away."

His jaw clenched, but he agreed.

We were silent for what seemed forever. I lost track of time with those green eyes staring so intimidatingly into mine.

"I still need the address, Bella."

This was so unhealthy. "Right. Of course." I backed away into the kitchen, digging around for a napkin and then a pen. I quickly scrawled the address of a block away from my house and the time of when I would be ready for him to come get me. When I handed it to him. I felt almost embarassed by how meager my napkin was compared to the rest of him. I don't know why. Maybe it was because he was dressed so nicely, everything about him was beautiful, and there was my dinky napkin. He glanced at it, then smoothly pulled out his own pen, the nice ball point ink kind, and elegantly wrote my name at the corner. Even that was much more beautiful, making my hand writing look like a young child's handwriting.

Edward folded it and slid it into his pocket, smiling charmingly at me.

"Is that all you needed?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest, almost to protect myself. He shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure I have what I came for."

"Where are we going?" I all but blurted.

"That is a surprise."

"I've never liked surprises." I said, almost rudely but he just grinned. "Why doesn't that surprise me? I promise it won't be as bad as you're making it."

"How do you know how bad I'm making it?"

"I find the more time I spend with you, the easier it is to figure you out."

I found that rude. He had only seen me two days in a row after weeks of ignoring me after one gone-wrong date. "Are you done?"

He ran his hand through his hair again and said, "Yes."

My nod was curt; I was trying to keep my tiny bubble of excitement from showing and succeeded until he leaned in and kissed my cheek so gently it was like a feather. A simple brush across my cheek and up my face went and my heart stuttered. "See you tomorrow." He whispered, still in close proximity to me. He seemed almost as surprised as me, or maybe I imagined it, because he was gone before I could get my heart under control.

"Yeah." I finally managed softly to the door he had just left through.

My morning at Webber's on Friday was easy. I think it had more to do that it was the morning and my mind was in auto pilot. My afternoon at the school, however, was harder.

I spent a little time with Sue in the library. A new major project had been given out and students were pouring in to use the books and Sue couldn't manage all the students and the counter by herself. After that I spent the rest of my time in the kitchen with Peter cutting vegetables and that was when I noticed that the normal group of four had a fifth member added to it.

Edward had joined the group today, in day light, and was ... laughing. When I came out of the kitchen to clean off the counter of the food area, I saw him right away and he saw me. His head was turning towards me just as I was opening the door, almost like he had been checking the door but that couldn't be right. There was something in his eyes that I saw even from where I was standing and I couldn't place it, but it made my stomach flip. The small girl beside him caught him staring at me and turned to look at me too. Her smile was brilliant and white teeth and she waved me over.

"So, you are Isabella Swan?" She asked politely. Her voice was high pitched, like a flute, lilting and flowing and just as pretty.

"Just Bella." I replied, trying not to fidget with whatever was in my pocket. "How can I help you?"

"Oh, I don't want help." She pulled a chair out so fast it appeared to come out of nowhere. "Sit with us."

The invitation was so out of place it baffled me. The other three's attention was now on me, the gorgeous blonde's eyes were going from Edward and me in a continuous line.

"I don't-"

"Alice," Edward interjected smoothly, "she doesn't know us. Don't make her feel uncomfortable."

"I'm Alice," she said, as if Edward hadn't spoken. "This is Jasper," she gestured to the blonde boy beside her. "And this is Emmett." The huge bear of a man. Despite the last conversation between him, me, and Jasper, he smiled, revealing dimples. "And this is Rosalie." The perfect blonde pinned me with her eyes like she was measuring up. "And you're Bella! I've heard so much about you."

I felt my stomach drop. Was this another sort of underlying cruelty? Was she making up for the scene I had caused Edward? The other two boys knew about it, there's no doubt she knew too.

"What Alice means is," Emmett said, his voice booming, "is that she's heard everything about you from Eddie here." He thumped Edward on the back, the sound was so loud I thought maybe he had broken his back. Edward twisted away and knocked his hand aside, saying, "Alice, Bella works here. She can't drop everything she's doing just to satisfy your needs."

Alice cocked him an eyebrow. "I'm just trying to be friendly, Edward. Maybe she needs a break. Do you?" She turned big, piercing blue eyes on me. "Sit with us. I'm sure we'd be great friends."

She sounded sincere and I found myself wanting to take her invitation. "I'm sorry, I can't. I would like to, but I have to get back to work."

"But we're the only ones here." She pointed out.

"I know, but I can't take a break right now. But I appreciate the offer." I smiled, hoping it was convincing enough for her. She just shrugged. "Some other time then."

I nodded and then it became awkward. I stood beside their table, shifting from one foot to the other.

"Well, I'd better... get back to work." I said. Alice smiled again but the stares from the others were intimidating. I took a step back, then another, and then I turned around and walked as normally as I could back to the kitchen.

In the silence, their voices carried back to me. "Think she's awkward enough?"

"Rose, there's no need for that kind of tone."

"Don't talk to me like that, Emmett."

"I think she's fine." I heard Alice say. "I don't know about all those rumors I heard. I thought they sounded like jealous girl's stories and I think I'm right."

The kitchen door fell behind me, cutting off whatever else they said in their conversation. Was this a good omen for tonight? Stop it, Bella. Overthinking this will just make you go crazy. Give this another chance, you know you want to. But could I actually go through with it? The memories of before had not faded. If I trudged them up, it still stung and I knew my words hadn't been forgotten. I just needed to ... calm down. And wait outside, a block away from my home at five so I could meet him. If it didn't go well this time, I'd completely forget it. I'd forget who he was, I'd forget what he looked like. If I ever saw him on campus again, I'd just see him as another student.

That was a good way to look at things, right?

"What was that?"

I jumped, forgetting Peter was back here with me. He was still chopping vegetables, but the knife was coming down harder, each slice ending with a loud, forbidding thunk. I swallowed before I answered. "It's nothing. They had a question and I answered it for them."

"What kind of question?" Still he did not look at me.

"Nothing important. I've forgotten it now."

"That brat was staring at you."

"Alice? She was the one asking me-"

"No. The boy beside her with the brown hair."

"Edward?"

That was when Peter stopped chopping and turned to me, the knife still in his hand. "You know him?"

"Not well." And it was the truth, wasn't it? "I just know his name."

"You're intimate with him enough to call him by his first name?"

"It's not like that, Peter."

He set the knife down and fully faced me, leaning against the counter and crossing one foot over the other. I wasn't fooled by the easy stance. "I don't want you near any boys, you got that? They only want you for one thing and I won't allow them to have it."

How I hid the shiver that went crawling down my back, I don't know. I managed to keep a straight face and say, "I know," normally. Peter stared at me for a long time so hard, I felt the pressure against my skin. I finally broke away and went to the trays, pretending to stack them by color.

He didn't say anything more to me then and I was relieved. When he left for his break, I decided to chance something. I went back out to the group, still sitting there eating. When they saw me, the talk quieted down.

To Edward, I said, "May I speak with you for a moment?" At the look his friends were giving me, I quickly added, "It won't take long."

Swiftly he left his chair and followed me back to the register, out of earshot of the others. The only solution for the small privacy I could justify was his friends made me uncomfortable.

"Before you leave the school, Sue would like to meet you."

"Sue?"

"She's my step mom."

"You told someone about me?"

"Was I not supposed to?"

"No, it just ... surprised me is all. When and where?"

"Whenever you have free time, which I'm hoping is now because I don't think I'll be able to introduce the two of you without-" I cut my words off. I had a terrible case of nerves right now and when I was nervouse I talked a lot." Edward didn't say anything, obviously was waiting me to finish, but I knew he caught my slip. "Whenever you can find the time, but right now would be best." I amended.

"Alright. Am I to guess that Sue is the librarian you used to work with?"

"Yes."

I wished I had noticed earlier how close we were. We were nearly toe-to-toe with him leaning over me and me craning to look into his face. I was suddenly very warm and my heart was pressing its normal speed limit. We were in our own private bubble, transparent to the outiders at the table looking in. He seemed to notice it too and stepped away. "Then lead the way and I will follow."

Taking a shaking breath, I pushed past him and started to walk towards the door, keeping my mind occupied while passing the table and the following stares. Edward gave them an excuse with a promise that he'd be back and if not to go on without him.

Silently, he followed me. It was unnerving. Silence was not golden in this type of situation so I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"So, they are your friends?"

"Yes."

Now where to go from there? "Alice seems ... comfortable."

He chuckled. "She's never had any problem meeting new people."

"Oh."

I didn't want to mention the others. How Jasper calculating stare could make a person feel like he knew everything they were feeling or how Emmet's size made a person feel so small or that Rosalie's entire being slapped a girl's self esteem silly.

"They all seem very different." I said instead. It certainly sounded less harsh than what I had been thinking.

"We are different. Polar opposites. It's a wonder we all get along." He replied nonchalantly. "But I suppose it's like the saying 'opposites attract' right?"

Coming to the library doors saved me from having to continue the strained conversation. Sue looked up from the counter and her entire copper face split into a smile.

"Hello, Bella!" She welcomed, coming out from behind the desk. "Is this the boy?"

This was going to be embarassing, I just knew it. "Yes. Sue, this is Edward. Edward, this is my step-mother, Sue."

He took her hand gingerly and shook it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sue." The minute she heard his voice, Sue's eyes were on mine and sparkling. I prayed Edward hadn't seen it but as always I had no such luck. His eyes couldn't only be described as dancing with mirth.

"The pleasure is all mine." She said warmly. I was always thankful that Sue never acted younger than she was. The war stories of the few friends I had other their mothers trying to relive their glory days was enough to scare me, but Sue never did that.

"So, where are you taking my daughter?"

Edward looked from her to me and then leaned in to whisper to her. I tried to hear, but he was speaking so low that even from how close I was I couldn't hear anything but a rumble. Sue clapped her hands once and said, "I think that is wonderful! She hasn't done that in so long but I'm sure she'll remember it when you go." If that wasn't cryptic I don't know what was. Sudddenly, Sue asked, "Edward, what is your last name?"

I thought Edward wasn't going to answer. The look on his face plainly said he didn't want to. "Masen." Sue was going to recognize the name.

Sue gasped and I wanted to put my head down on the desk. "So, you are Ms. Esme's son? You know, your mother is a wonderful person. She and I have talked a little and it's very plain that you are her world."

Edward's jaw tightened but he still kept the smile. I wondered if Sue would see it and stop. When she opened her mouth to speak again, I stopped her. "Sue, I have to get back to the cafeteria. I snuck out without Peter knowing and I have to get back before he notices."

She went aflutter. "Why would you sneak out? Never mind, don't answer, hurry back. Have fun tonight and remember to be careful."

I may have shoved Edward out the door. "Thanks, Sue." I bit my lip on the way back to the cafeteria, praying I was back before Peter saw me gone and already coming up with excuses in case he wasn't.

I made it back to the cafeteria without Peter in sight and sighed from the very pool of my being.

"Why were you in such a rush to get back?"

How had I not noticed Edward was still behind me?

"If Peter had seen me gone ... I don't know, something would have happened."

"What would have happened? You were gone to see your step-mother."

A perfect excuse. Why did I always have to over complicate things? "Because I left the cafeteria by itself."

"It's not going to burn to the ground."

"Yeah, well, you don't understand Peter." I rubbed my temples with the tips of my fingers and breathed in. "You should probably go. I have a lot to do."

I tried to pry where Edward was taking me out of Sue later, but she wouldn't budge. "It's a secret," was all she said, winking. She obnoxiously knew how to drive my imagination insane. The only clue she gave me was when she was helping me pick out what to wear: a dark blue shirt and white skirt. So I wasn't going outside for sports of any kind and it was more than casual? Or maybe that was just Sue thinking that I had to dress up for a date with the headmaster's son.

I kissed Sue goodbye before I left, slipping on matching flats before I left the threshold. I took my bag with me too. If he did give me the book back, I was going to keep it on me at all times until tomorrow when I gave it back to Jake. Inside was his jacket too, taken off the back of my chair and neatly folded. But of course, the bag was zipped and would always be on my shoulder, so if he refused, I would keep the ridiculously expensive jacket, pawn it off, and pay for Jake's book.

I walked the block and stopped near one of the countless trees of Forks, Washington. Where we lived was ... not the best part of Forks. Not dangerous unless you counted the wolves, bears, or coyotes, but not well populated. We lived out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Nowhere, Washington. Despite the large mammals and lack of people, I enjoyed the walks now and then. They were few and far between with my jobs and helping Sue, but when I got them, they cleared my mind, gave me time to think, and at times calmed me down.

No one drove down these roads often, so when I heard the soft approaching tires, I knew who it was. And he was right on time. Of course.

He had his door open already and getting out to come for my door. I forgot he liked to do that. I gingerly stepped into the car, pulling my skirt in after me to keep it from shutting in the door as he closed it. On his side of the car, he simultaneously was in the car, putting on his seat belt, and accelerating the car. Don't ask me how he did it.

"Please tell me driving dangerously is not something you do often."

His eyes shot over to me. "This is dangerous to you?" His tone was good humored.

"Going sixty-five on a forty-five speed limit? I'd say it's borderline."

He laughed. "I know what I'm doing. Don't worry, Bella, I won't let anything happen to you."

My heart may have skipped a beat. Whether I was on guard with him or not, I was still a girl and from what I understood of movies, that meant sweet words like that could still get to me.

I sat back in the leather and looked at everything but out the windshield in case I became a passenger driver. Stomping down on the invisible brake might look bad on my part.

"You're not nervous being around me are you?"

"Depends on what you mean by nervous." I chanced a glance at his side profile. His eyes were still on the road, both hands on the wheel, but he was paying attention to what I said, maybe even to how I was acting. "If you mean I'm nervous that we're going to crash because you don't have a healthy respect for speed limits, sure."

He grinned and I noticed this his canines were a little longer than normal. "I'll keep that in mind, but what I mean is is that I don't want you to think we're going to have a ... repeat of our last time together." There was a part of me that didn't believe him but it was shrinking by the minute. Blossoming was a part of me that believed he was sincere and creeping was the part of me that wondered why the change of heart when he had spoken to me in weeks.

"Why?" He didn't ask me what I meant.

"I don't know why," he replied softly. I wanted to press for more information, but something stopped me. Maybe it was the look on his face.

As nicely as I could, because I might as well so I could say I gave this a chance, I asked. "Do you have the book?" It sounded like I was using a code for illegal substances. I felt so stupid.

His mouth twitched and he gestured to the back. "It's in the trunk with my bag."

I waited for him to ask about his jacket, but he didn't. "Um, I have your jacket too."

Again his mouth twitch upwards.

We drove for a while longer when I suddenly recognized where we were and where we were headed. "Why are we going back to the school?"

"Believe it or not, there's somewhere I want to take you there." Skepticism must have shown on my face because when he turned, he laughed, "I'm serious. Its been closed for a while and it's not open to students anymore, but we'll get in."

In other words: breaking and entering.

I stayed silent as Edward slowed down and we pulled up to the school, thinking we were actually going to break into the main building while also thinking I was an idiot for agreeing to this. But we drove right past the main building, the library, and the cafeteria. We continued driving back to the buildings that were known as the barracks that hadn't been used for years since the updating and additions to the main building. Past those and to the very back where one lone building was sitting, dark and abandoned. Edward went around the building and parked in the back. I looked at the building like it was an enemy base. It was rather far from the school, actually closer to the road but to get to it a person would have to walk the path was so narrow. There was no way a car could reach it with the short cut.

Edward opened my door, standing beside it with an arm stretched towards the building. "Ladies first."

At one time the outside walls may have been pure white with green trimming. But the outside had been graffitied with black music notes around the building. It looked like it had been done with purpose and not vandalism. The windows were pitch black without light, giving it the feel or foreboding and approach with caution.

"Perhaps I'll go in first to make it seem less frightening," I heard at my side. Edward strode forward, pulling out of his pockets a ring of keys. He pulled out one that from our short distance I could see looked like an old skeleton key which fit in the door easily. He disappeared through the door and I had the ridiculous image of him being eaten by the darkness. Shortly lights came on in the front and a trail followed going to the back. I saw his black shadow moving through the golden lit rooms, looking like one of those old shadow profile pictures from the eighteen hundres.

He stepped outside and waved me forward. "It's safe now." I approached with the caution I had felt earlier but with lights it felt silly. I expected to find the inside dirty with dust and cluttered with everything out of place but it was clean, taking me by complete surprise. It was almost like a small house of sorts, with a hallway that met you at the door that led to a large room with a couch a few chairs and a large object in the middle of the room covered by a white sheet. Off to the side was a smaller room that when inspected showed instuments lining the walls and sheet music piled in the corner.

The walls in each room were white, holding tacked to them papers of composition. If my limited knowledge of reading music was correct, they would have been beautiful if they had been completed.

"Wow," I breathed.

"I know." He said behind me.

"What is this?"

"This is the Edward Masen Music Room, where the most brilliant teacher taught music to whoever wished to learn."

I frowned. That was a little conceited, wasn't it?

"No, it wasn't named after me." He put out there like he could read my mind. "I was named after my father, Edward Masen senior. He was the teacher here."

Oh.

"Aren't you going ot ask me where he is?"

"I figure," I said, thinking quickly, "that you'll tell me if you want to without me putting my nose where it doesn't belong." Even if I've already done that.

The look on his face was off, like that wasn't the answer he had expected and that he had an answer already prepared had I asked where his father was.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I said quietly. He just nodded and turned away from me, going to the covered object and running his hands over it smoothly.

"Do you rememeber when we were in my car weeks ago?" Though I didn't really want to, I still held that memory clear. "I remember how you told me you used to play piano, taught by your mother, right?" He pulled the sheet off and there was a beautiful baby grand piano, gleaming in the light like it was brand new. My breath caught as memories rushed to me that I hadn't known I still knew. Edward was at one end of the keys, picking out a distracted tune. "I thought that if we both did something we had in common it would be a better start."

How was it so easy for him to send my heart tripping over itself? His words, the fact that he had actually been listening and thought about this... I was... touched.

But, "I really can't play." I reminded. "I can play simple things and even those aren't the best. I played with my mom because it was like a mother-daughter thing for her." When I thought about those words later, it sounded like I was shooting him down. But I wasn't, I just didn't want to embarass myself when I played horribly. I thought I had ruined it then, but he just smiled a true smile, crooked and happy, and murmured gently, "Then I'll teach you."

He pulled the bench out for me, waiting for me to find it in me to actually take the seat. I thought he was going to sit beside me, but he didn't. He nudged me to the middle of the bench and then stood directly behind me, bending slightly so that he could hover my hands over the keys. The space between my fingers and keys were enough for him to slide his hands under mine. "Let your hands rest on mine," he instructed, "and just feel me play."

My heart was beating too fast. I felt the deep pounding in my chest and the blood rushing in my ears. I thought I had long fingers, but his were even longer, making me feel better. His were definite piano hands, easily reaching far off black keys better than I could. But his skin was cool and smooth, I could feel the slightest touch he used to bring out a gorgeous melody. There was something intimate about our position. Not just how close he was, but how it seemed as if we were working together to bring out this music, that I was a part of something he was creating. I felt the music in my heart and the song in my mind, I knew what it was saying without words and I felt the over powering colors that filled my body.

His fingers drifted under mine elegantly. In my ear he hummed a counter harmony. This was the epitome of beauty.

The music stopped before the crescendo. "I haven't gotten any farther." He whispered. I felt the tears in my eyes and only understood why in a dark place of myself I wouldn't be able to find. I wanted to explain to him how beautiful it was, how I felt it in my bones and when I went to, I almost bumped noses with him. He was so close, his head right beside my hovering over my shoulder. He didn't turn his head lest he knock into me, but he did pull back, allowing me to face myself in his direction.

"It's beautiful." I whispered so softly he could only hear it in this silence.

He swallowed and it occured to me he might be just as nervous as me. Whatever he was thinking, whatever the reason we were here now, I didn't care.

His hand came up, wavering like he wasn't sure of what he was going to do. I didn't move, I didn't flinch. Steadily now, the back of his fingers came to rest on my cheek and slid down until one knuckle traced my lips.

My face was hot, burning, but in a good way, a way I wanted. He bent down, crouched on his feet so he could be eye level with me. My heart was in my throat, beating so hard I thought I would choke.

Gently, gently, he kissed me.


	9. Pride and Prejudice

You all may be upset with me, but there was actually a lot more to the previous chapter, but I wanted it out so I... may have... cut some out. But NO WORRIES! It's all here. :D

Oh, and by the way, while I've been writing this fic, I've been over to my friend's house a few times and when she has seen me writing this, has taken it upon herself to add in some extra lines. Have no fear, they are not in here (have I made a rhyme?) but if they ever do appear in here, please remember that it is NOT me it is just something I somehow over looked.

A HUGE thank you to all who have reviewed. I appreciate all of you and your reviews make me want to write faster.

And I have a question I want you to answer in your reviews concerning this story: Do you think Edward would be better as a profession in doctor or lawyer? I've seen many stories with him as a doctor but I think it may be because of the influence of Carlisle, but Stephanie never really states what Edward would be best suited for seeing as he can do practically everything.

So I leave it to you: Do you think Edward would be best considered as a DOCTOR or a LAWYER? This plays a major role in this story: a MAJOR role. And I'm going to let you all decide. And no, there will not be spoilers as to why this plays a major role. I'm leaving my blind faith in you all.

So leave me your vote in your review!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of its recognizable characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer.

Words written, however, are mine.

In this life, there are times that you will keep forever in your heart. They may not make sense or have reason, they may come at the most outrageous times, or that may just make the most perfect sense in the most awkward way. And this kiss would stay with me because it felt right. For the entirety of that moment, I had this strange sense that I was going to be overwhelmed with happiness.

It was simple. His lips were pressed gently against mine, brushing softly, his fingers had found their way wrapped around my wrists. When he broke the kiss I was pulling for air, gasping softly.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. His chest was rising and falling for air too and I felt less silly.

"For what?" If I spoke any louder than a whisper, the moment might disappear.

"Should I have asked first?" He was smiling though, a faint one that pulled one corner of his mouth up higher than the other.

I giggled breathlessly. "If you had, I might have said no."

"Why?"

"Because I would have thought it was another trick."

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I wished desperately to take them back.

His face lost the smile and with it the soft look in his eyes. He stood abruptly and if I could have smacked myself I would have. Why did I bring it up? It didn't matter anymore to me. Whatever the reason - this wasn't the same as before. This time was different, there was an actual purpose, not a ploy. But no, me and my big mouth.

"I should be the one upset." He said, his back to me. I saw him pulling at his hair, making it stand on end even more attractively. "I tried to apologize and explain and then apologize again." He began to pace, turning back around to walk back and forth in front of me. His forefinger and thumb were pinching the bridge of his nose and his eyes were closed hard. "Would it have been better if I had stayed away?"

I fearfully asked, "What are you talking about?"

His hand was back at his sides and his eyes flew open to pin me with startling, angry green. "I'm not a fool, Isabella. I do not keep liars around me, I know what the consequences are. But you - I can't stay away." He strode over to me quickly, pinning me with his gaze and then with his arms, his hands slamming so hard down on the keys of the piano, they scared me with the sudden clash of keys. "Something has possessed me," he whispered harshly, his face mere inches from mine. "It can only be that because otherwise why would I want to be around someone who so blantantly lied and used me?" He leaned in closer, like he was going to kiss me again, but instead, he said seductively, with his mouth so close to my face I felt his warm breath, "Is this what you girls do? Play around? Would you like to unbutton your shirt now and we can get this over with?" One hand reached out to my neck but I slapped it away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I don't remember standing, but I was so furious I was shaking. It was a wonder I could stand. "I used you? Unless my memory fails me, it was you who used me. I didn't do anything to you."

"Then your memory must be failing you." He spat back, stepping back. "Because I seem to remember you pulling out money; your payment for winning a bet to go out with me." Oh, that. The air rushed out of my inflamed ego and kind of limped away. "I was so furious with you. I thought you had been different, not like other girls and I was proven wrong."

My ego was back. "Wait a minute! You were the one who started it first!"

He scoffed. "What?"

"Yeah! You went around and told everyone that since I had told all those other guys no you knew some way to get me to say yes. And then after the date, you went around and told everyone I'd had sex with you! Do you know the ridicule I had suffered for that? What Sue had heard? For weeks I was harassed by girls and guys thought it was funny to whisper things when they passed me. And even your friends! I had to deal with Emmett and Jasper at one point!" I felt the tears gathering behind my eyes but forced them back to shard the roof of my mouth hurt. "If I had known you were going to spread lies about me sleeping with you I never would have agreed to go with you and we'd both be in very different places right now."

"I never said that." Edward hissed. "I'll admit when the other boys started complaining, I told them they were going about it the wrong way. That is all, Bella. Perhaps they thought it was a wager because not long after I said it, I started to wonder if maybe I would try to ask you out. Not to show I could but because I wanted to. And why would I spread such a vulgar rumor about sex between you and me? I would never disrespect a woman that way or ever."

He suddenly bent his head and began rubbing his temples with his fingers, his eyes scrunched like he was in pain.

"Are you alright?" I asked quietly. Had I been wrong? I wanted to be wrong now. I wanted to believe him. I wanted his words to be true so that I could then explain my actions, not that they were actually redeemable, but still, he had told me, I should explain to him.

"Yes, I'm fine -" But obviously he wasn't because his legs crippled beneath him and he fell to the floor, narrowly missing the corner of the piano bench,.

"Edward!" He didn't move and I couldn't see his face. "Edward? Hey." I went to take his shoulder and saw that he had fainted. "Edward!" I rolled him over, patting his cheek. "Um, hey, Edward." I patted him a little harder, bending low to hear his heart. It was still beating, thankfully, and he was breathing. "Edward, come on. I don't want to explain to anyone about your body, please."

This was a full on pass out. I was almost hoping he was kidding, but he wasn't and it scared me. But then his eys rolled behind his eyelids and he breathed deeper. I was close enough once again that when he opened his eyes I could see the flecks of yellow in his eyes, like gold. "Are you okay?"

He didn't say anything, just went to sit up, rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. "Is there any way possible you could forget what you saw?"

"Are you hurt?"

"No."

"Is this normal?"

"Can you forget?"

I paused. I was still kneeling beside where his head had been and looking at his back. "Why did this happen?"

He sighed. "It happens when I get overemotional. Like now when you made me incredibly angry."

"I didn't mean to make you angry." I said in a very small voice. It reflected how I felt. "Look, I didn't make a bet with anyone."

I was looking down at the ground with my hair a curtain between us so I didn't see him turn around, only heard him. "Pardon?"

"I didn't make a bet with anybody." I repeated. "When I heard what those boys were saying... I was hurt and didn't think to ask for a second opinion or ask you. I just assumed they were right. But you know what they say about assuming things." He laughed under his breath making me feel like maybe I had a chance. "So when you suddenly showed up and I hadn't given myself time to think I just, again, assumed it was true and the money? That was just what little money I had left from lunch." I tucked my hair behind my ear so I could look at him and say, "I made it up to make up for my hurt feelings. I guess ... it was all for nothing."

"You didn't make a bet?"

"No."

"And I didn't either."

"I guess not."

"And neither of us used the other."

"No."

His eyes bore into mine for the longest time. I was sure he was contemplating if I was telling the truth and was hoping he believed me until he threw back his head and laughed. It was loud, bouncing off the walls and back to me. I considered if I should take this as that maybe he was possessed.

"We are a strange pair." He said, the remains of his laughter fading. "Will you accept my apology for all of this?" He swung his legs around, his body following to face me.

Being put on the spot like this and the way he was staring at me made me feel uncomfortable. Not in the bad way, more like that I didn't know how to respond to my stupidity. "Sure."

"And will you accept my first apology?" My forehead made a 'v.' "That day all this started, I had come to apologize for my behavior at the restaurant and after."

"Oh. Sure."

He smiled and mussed his already messy hair. "Then we are settled."

"No, we're not. I mean, I need to apologize too. If I hadn't been so strong headed and quick to assume this would never have happened. I'm sorry." I think one of the reasons I kept my hair so long was so I could hide my face when I couldn't look at someone. It was a shield I relied on.

"It was understandable, Bella." I heard quietly. "I hadn't known the full extent of the rumors I had caused you."

"We are both at fault," I said, "no one deserves more blame." I pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around them. "So, what do we do now?"

Without thinking, Edward stood, wiped off his pant legs and put his hand in my vision. "We're going to start over."

I looked at his hand, creeped to his wrist, and then traveling up to his shoulder to see his face. I realized I always wanted to be looking at his face, into his eyes. Not just because he was beautiful but his eyes were mesmerizing, like magnets to me. Looks into his eyes I took his hand and he hauled me to my feet. I was close, very close, and he smelled wonderful but I was pretty sure it would have been impolite to act on the random impulse to smell his neck. At the thought I blushed furiously and turned away to the piano. "So, this was your dad's room?" My fingers trailed along the keys. "What did he teach?"

"He taught classical most of the time but there were days I remember when he would play different genres. I could always tell what he was feeling because when he was in a deep mood he was teaching blues or if he was happy it was jazz." His eyes were seeing only memories as he told them to me. "He was the best player, he taught me everything I know. I learned to respect music for what it could do and what it was." His face fell then.

I knew what he was thinking and if I was correct in guessing, this is what his mother worried about.

"You know about my mother teaching me to play piano." I said to change the subject quickly. "We were not as good as you and your father, but it was a good time to bond for us. My favorite to play was 'Air on a G String,'" I picked the tune hesitantly from the piano.

"Do you realize that you are off key and off note?" He asked gently, pushing the sleeves to his grey shirt up and pulling my hand two keys over. "Press this key and then this one."

"This one?"

"That's right."

He was on key, of course. I suppose I could have been irked, but I had long ago accepted the fact that I was never good at the piano, just a nice little waste of time here and there.

He continued to guide my fingers across the keys with patience and in no time I could do ten seconds without a flaw.

"Good." Edward grinned. "You have potential."

"Potential." I scoffed. "The only talent I have is cooking. Unless you want to count knowledge of classic literature. But thank you for this. I really do enjoy it, it reminds me of my mother."

"May I ask what happened to your mother?" He asked.

I shrugged. "She died when I was young. We thought it had been the flu, but the fever just got worse and worse until she finally -" I looked back at the compositions tacked to the walls. "She would have liked this room."

"I'm sorry, Bella."

I shook my head. "No, don't be. She was loved, still is in fact, and died in her sleep."

"Do you miss her?" His voice was soft velvet next to me, joining me from the other side of the piano.

I nodded. "Every day."

"What about your father?"

"Dad loved her, of course. There were fights and there were times when I thought she'd leave, but that was because she was impulsive. She wasn't a fan of Forks, she liked sunshine more than rain and she didn't like the cold much either. But she did love Dad and me, we knew it." I sighed. "But after she had died, Dad kind of turned in on himself. I didn't mind the chores though, it was something to keep my mind off her death. We spent a few years by ourselves, me cooking and him working, but it was fine. I got through my middle school years and then into highschool and the routine was the same. And then he met Sue and after some awkward dates they realized they were compatible married her and she was kind to me. She has two kids too, Seth and Leah, but Leah was old enough to live on her own and didn't want to move in and took Seth with her. I see Seth from time to time." I wondered if he and Leah still got into the squabbles that made Leah so mad.

I noticed Edward didn't say anything and I then I realized he was staring at me. "What?"

"It must have been hard for you."

I shrugged again. "After a while I learned to go on and mourn by myself because I didn't want Dad to worry." Again he didn't say anything. I didn't want silence like this, so I looked at the old clock on the wall and registered the late time. How was I going to sneak back into the house? "I should probably go home." I thought aloud and then realized I did. "Do you mind?" I asked him. If I was going to be honest, I didn't want this to end. But a price was waiting to be paid if I didn't leave soon.

He checked the clock too, shaking his head once. "No, I don't mind."

I waited for him by the door while he extinguished the lights. It was so dark I couldn't see an inch in front of me. I jumped when something touched my arm.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"I didn't expect it to be this dark."

"It's what happens when the lights go out." I heard the smile in his voice.

I rolled my eyes despite the fact that he couldn't see either. "Good thing you're here," my voice dripped sarcasm, "or the monsters would come get me."

So quiet I thought I may have imagined it, I heard, "One may have already got you."

I shivered.

We took the short cut under darker shadows of the trees, but where I would have been scared before, I felt safe. I did.

It was nearly unbelievable to think that this one night had changed so much. It should have taken longer, he should have worked harder to gain my trust back. But instead I believed every word he said and forgave him. I should have been worried. I should have thought that this was unatural and that something was not right, but it wasn't. Something about Edward Masen reached out to me and not just as survivors of lost parents, but as friends ... maybe more if I could stop kidding myself.

"Where is it you really live?" He asked as we neared my house.

"Um," there wasn't a reason to fear him being seen by Peter now, but I didn't know what he'd think of our tiny apartment compared to whatever he owned.

"Bella, I am not leaving you to walk home by yourself in the dark." His word was final, I could hear that clearly so I may have sulked for a quick moment before I replied, "Take a right after this sign."

Five minutes later we were pulling up to my apartment. All the lights were off. Good they had gone to bed. I opened my door and carefully got out, wondering if there was any way that I could shut it without slamming it.

"You said the book was in the trunk, right?"

"Yes. Let me get it-"

"No, it's fine, I'll get it, I'm already up. If you'll unlock the trunk I'll be on my way."

His lopsided grin appeared and he held down the button before the trunk popped. I went to the back and rumaged through the surprisingly clean trunk. All that was back there was his bag, a sweater and what looked like a tool box. I sifted through the front pockets of his bag because I didn't feel right about going through the rest but it ended up I had to and I found it squished between a law book and a medical text book. I clung it to my side and I went back to give him back his jacket, nice and folded. His fingers brushed against mine for a second longer than nessecary and I the electricty that shot from my fingertips down to my stomach shocked me. I jerked my hand back and tucked it against my chest with the book. "Well, then, I'll see you." I went to slam to the door but when he called for me I almost slammed my finger in the door.

"Bella?"

I poked my head back into the car, nursing my caught-from-danger finger.

"If you're willing to see me again, I would like to take you back to the music room."

I don't know why the question caught me off guard, but it did and all I did was nod dumbly. "Yeah. Sure, I'd like that."

I could see the white of his teeth as he purred his Volvo back to life. "Then I will see you at school Monday."

"'Bye then."

"Goodnight, Bella."

It was strange the effect he had on me when he said my name. It was warm and circled around my mind like a ribbon of silk. I was glad we had finally come clean to each other, but I began to wonder if I was getting more than I bargained for.

I tried my hardest to slip my key into the lock without clinking it agains the sides. I pushed the door open as fast as I could because it was less likely to squeak that way and tip toed inside, shutting the door with my hand pressed against it to muffle the sound.

There wasn't a sound in the house, which made me suspicious and anxious. There wasn't any light coming from Sue's room, meaning they both had to have gone to bed, letting me breathe a sigh of relief.


	10. Paul

I'M SORRY! This chapter would have come out sooner if I hadn't been so busy! I got distracted by the Tony's weeks ago at first and then I had this trip to Harry Potter World coming up and a trip to my grandparents house. And then I watched the midnight premiere of ECLIPSE last night and figured I'd better finish this!

Oh my gosh, guys, it was AMAZING! I don't know how to describe it! The scenery, the fighting, the characters, the dialouge... It was just too good! Go see it if you haven't yet!

I love my reviewers and watchers. Just thought I'd let you all know. And I found it funny that all of you agreed on the same study of profession. I will admit, that this choice drastically changes the plot and I hope you all won't hate me for it when it happens... But it HAS to! Not now... later.

And I know, it's not fun when Edward is gone for most to all of a chapter. I know I don't like it but this has to be done. We understand a little more about Edward in this chapter. I'm trying to write it as entertainingly as possible to make the void better.

And if anyone is interested, I'm working on posting another Avatar story: Grace's School. So please look for that soon!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or any of it's recognizable characters. They belong to Stephanie Meyer.

ON TO THE DRAMA!

There was a consistant noise that was pounding my head and it wouldn't stop. Then it did and I was almost asleep again when it started up even louder than before. A strangled noise added to it and I realized it was me groaning. I pulled the pillow over my head and tried to melt into the bed.

"Isabella, open the damn door!"

I gasped, bolting out of my warm covers and diving for the door. When I wrenched it open, I gasped, "Sorry, Peter."

His face was slightly red and there was an ugly frown in the middle of his forehead. "Someone's here to see you." He gruffed. "They're in the living room."

"Who?"

His mouth twisted. "Some boy."

My mind immediately jumped to conclusions, delighted that Edward was here and horrified that Peter knew. "Alright," I said quietly, "I'll be out in a minute."

Peter humphed in my face, his eyes lingering lower. The oversized t-shirt that was sliding with old age didn't cover much and I swallowed, feeling exposed. Slowly, I pulled the neckline back up and his eyes snapped to my face. "Get out here soon and then get rid of the boy." He turned on his heel and stomped away, ignoring Sue's greeting to him as she came out of the bed room dressed.

I shut my door and quickly dressed into a pair of jeans and button up shirt and was around the hall wall when I realized it wasn't Edward that had come to see me.

"Jacob!" But just because it wasn't Edward didn't mean I wasn't extremely pleased to see Jake.

"Hey, Bells," he greeted, opening his arms. I ran straight into them and hugged his neck, flying through the air as he spun me around.

"Jake! Put me down or I'm going to be sick!"

He set me down and considered my face. "You always say that," And then he was spinning me around again.  
"And the one time you don't listen to me I'll get sick all over your back!" I screamed.

He drastically set me back on my feet. "You're such a baby." He announced.

"Oh, please. Stop flaunting you ability to fling yourself around without getting sick."

He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Is it just me, or are you getting shorter?" He stood straigher and it added a good two inches to his height.

"I believe you are the monster who won't stop growing." I rolled my eyes.

He playfully growled at me, swatting my face and missing purposely. I smacked his hand away.

"Hey, I'm here to spring you." He whispered like a conspiritor.

"What?"

"Sh! Do you want to get caught? I'm here to take you to my place. Didn't you want to see the motorcycle?"

Spending the day with Jake was what we always used to do. But it was different now, and I didn't know if I could. "I dunno, Jake."

"Nope." He said, swiping me off my feet and over his shoulder. "You have no say in the matter."

"Ah!" I screamed, fisting his shirt to feel some sense of balance. "Jacob Black you put me down! Now!"

"Not a chance."

"I don't have clothes!"

"You don't remember the extra spare you always kept at my house?"

"I have to tell someone!"

But he knew if I did, that would mean a no. "You're nineteen. You are allowed to do what you want legally." He was already out the hall way and going for the stairs off the porch.

"If you take me like this down the stairs I will get sick." I complained, shutting my eyes.

"A chance I'm willing to take."

I groaned and fell limp over his shoulder, hoping it would make it easier if I just moved with his body. He only set me down when we got to his car with the door already open and his body blocking any chance of escaping. Either I get in the car on my own or he would make me. So I did the only thing I could to annoy him and got in as slowly as I could.

"Bella, you are so obnoxious." He said.

"Says my kidnapper." I retorted.

He flashed me his teeth, biting the air. He knew he'd eventually get his way.

I was in the car, sulking, as he turned the key a few times. If I was lucky the old Rabbit wouldn't start and I could smugly go back inside. But it didn't and he drove off. I looked in the review mirror as my house disappeared and just knew I would be in for it when I got home.

"Nothing's going to happen while you're gone. And put your seatbelt on."

"Oh," I said, annoyed, "put yours on."

"Bella, I'm driving. Don't distract me."

"Jake! You are so infuriating!"

He laughed. "It's my job."

I crossed my arms and turned my body to face the window. I was being childish, but Jake didn't understand how much trouble I was going to be in when I came back. Especially since I was with Jake. But, on the other hand, this would be fun, much more enjoyable than dealing with Peter while Sue was away at her new job at the only hotel in Forks.

"You're not frowning anymore, are you gonna forgive me?" Jake asked.

I sighed. "Yeah. I wasn't really mad, just - I dunno -"

"Reclusive?"

I did laugh a little at that. "I guess so." I turned my body back around to face the right way. "What are we doing at your house?"

"I don't really know."

"The big kidnapper doesn't have a plan? How sloppy."

"Shut it."

"Didn't you say something about your bike?"

"Well, yeah, but that was just a move to make you feel bad so you would come with me."

I would've punched his arm, but he was driving. "You are so immature."  
We passed the reservation line and not soon after we were pulling into the Black family drive. The Rabbit idled before dying. "I'm going to have to take a look at this thing again." Jake mumbled before he slammed the door. I followed behind him into the living room where Billie was sitting at the table alternating between watching the television and reading the paper.

"Hey, Dad." Jake greeted, going straight for the fridge.

"Hello, Son." Billie said, looking up from his paper. "And hello, Bella. It's good to see you."

"It's nice to see you too, Billie." He rolled his chair out from under the table so he could face me.

"How've you been? We haven't seen you around here. Jake here has been talking about you here for a while now."

"Dad."

"Just telling her the truth, Son."

I smiled and ignored the familair pang in my chest at their banter. "I've been good. Work's good, Sue's good, we're all good." Jacob rose from the fridge with a good pound of beef in his arms and a bag of bread slices between his teeth. He kicked the door shut and dropped it on the counter while looking for a knife.

Billie nodded. "Well, good. I guess I'll leave you all to it. I'm just catching up on the world outside. Have breakfast or lunch or whatever you want to call it. Our's is yours, Bella."

"Thanks, Billie." Gratitude was a constant companion around the Black family. All of them had known me since I was at least a kid and after Mom's death they were there for me and Charlie and after Dad's death they were there for me as my second family. They always told me I was welcome at whatever time or day. Billie was as good to me as an uncle and Jacob as my closest friend and brother.

"Bells, you only like mayo on your sandwhich, right?"

"Yep. Do you want help?"

"Nah, I got it. But if you want to go and grab some chips and we'll sit on the couch and eat."

I reached in the cabinet to grab the salt and vinegar and knocked them on purpose into Jake's back. I ripped them open and threw a few in my mouth, screwing my face up at the first sting in my mouth.

"Keep making that face and it'll stay like that," Jake said carrying a plate with both our sandwiches and two glasses of sweet tea.

"Shut up, Jake."

We ate our food and in between chews Jake told me what I had missed. So much had changed since I had been on the reservation: Jake and his childhood friends, Quil and Embry, had been building a lot of things in the back garage, Billie had learned to wheelie, Jake had been accepted into some kind of harmless gang run by Sam Uley who had apparently broken up with Leah (I hadn't even known they were dating) for her cousin Emily, and Jake had apparently learned to cliff dive.

I nearly choked on my tea. "Cl-cliff dive? Please, tell me you're joking."

"Nope. It's really fun, Bella. You just jump and free fall and feel the adrenaline. You should try it sometime."

"Um. No. Thank you."

He shrugged and threw the last half of his sandwich in his mouth. "Suit yourself. But you don't know what you're missing."

"I'd be missing my spine if I went." I chewed out. "Besides, aren't there rocks out there you can break your neck on?"

"So?"

"Jake -!"

A loud knock came twice before the front door swung open and Quil and Embry came in, taller than I remembered and with longer hair. "Jake! Aren't you coming with us to- Oh, we didn't know you had company."

"Is this the girl you keep going on about? Should we come back later?"

Jake threw a pillow at each of them, knocking them both in the mouth. "Shut up!"

"Hey, Quil, Embry." I greeted, waving.

They both squinted their eyes at me, recognition dawning. "Bella? Bella Swan?"

"We haven't seen you in years!"

I grinned, not knowing what else to do. "Hey, guys."

They both came over, Quil sitting on my right, Embry making an obnoxious spot between me and Jake on my left. "So, what have you been doing these past few years?"

"You have a boyfriend yet?"

Jake smacked Embry on the head and then shoved him off the couch. "We were just leaving so you have to get out."

"Aw, Jake, come on." Quil whined.

"No. If you're going to be weird you can't hang. Besides, Bella's here with me. If she comes again, you can tag."

"'If' she comes again?"

"Jake, you're so selfish, man."

Jake stood and would have purposefully stomped on Embry's hand had he not moved it. "Come on, Bella. I'll show you around the rez."

I shot Quil and Embry apologetic looks. "Sorry, guys. Another time, okay?"

"Sure."

"If Jake even lets her go." Quil's palm connected with Embry's head as I left the house.

I had to jog to keep up with Jake his stride was so long and then keep it up at a fast walk to stay beside him. "Jake, slow down, I don't have long legs."

He did slow down but then he shot off again, calling over his shoulder, "Follow me! There's something I want to show you."

I don't know why he thought I'd be able to keep up with him at the speed he was going, I'd be lucky to see where he was going. But I did my best to catch up and ran into his back when he stopped causing me to lose my balance and fall to the wet forest floor.

"Ow," I groaned, knowing my hands were scraped and there was a chance I'd have a bruised backside tomorrow.

"Oops, sorry." Jake laughed, giving me a hand. "I thought you saw me."

"Well, I didn't." My rear was wet and it went through my jeans and it was cold. Great. "Where'd you bring me?"

"You don't remember?"

It looked like we were just in the forest surrounded by nothing but trees, whatever he was expecting me to see, I wasn't. But then my eyes caught an unnatural shape behide a huge oak tree and I knew where we were. Behind the tree was our old tree house, or ground house, we built out of sticks, stones, branches, and leaves. It was the club house of our childhood where we played until I either ended up injuring myself or someone called us in.

"It's still up?" I asked, picking my way to it and peeking into one of the spaces between leaves.

"Yeah. I found it the other day." He pushed open the door and I was surprised when it actually still worked and didn't fall over. "Apparently, we built it properly."

He let me in first. I didn't remember having to duck, but at that time I was below five feet when we made it. The little table Jake had built when we were seven was still there with its nails sticking out; It was a wonder we didn't cut ourself on them. The bucket we used as a sink was still sitting in the corner, rusty, but still there along with the lone chair that looked like it would turn to dust if someone so much as breathed on it.

"I can't believe it's all here and standing." I mumbled to myself, feeling very nostalgic all of a sudden. I notice Jake still hadn't joined me. "Aren't you going to come in?"

He shook his head. "Do you see how small this thing is? I'd bring it down with you in it."

Good point. I took one last look at it and then went to stand by Jake to survey it again. "You know," I mused, "we did a good job in building. I mean, it's still standing after all these years."

"Hey, I was the one building. You were too small, remember?"

I ignored the tease and walked around it once. "A lot of memories are here." I whispered. "It's good to see it again." To see it and remember that some time in my life I was happy. And now that I thought about it, I didn't want to remember. It caused too much pain.

"Come on, Jake. Show me around. I bet this place has changed since I last came."

He did without comment, but I knew he noticed the look on my face and kept his questions to himself. He said he wanted to take her back to the main part of the reservation, so we went back to his house, which Quil and Embry had left, and just as I started to make for his Rabbit, he pulled me back. "Where are you going?"

"To your car?"

He shook his head and grinned. "Come with me." He pulled me threw the wet grass and mud that caked my shoes back to his garage and work place. When he threw open the doors, he stepped aside like I was supposed to admire what I saw.

And I did. From what I knew of bikes, it was beautiful. I didn't know the make, the year, or anything about its stats, but it was sleek and looked fast and it terrified me.

"Please, tell me we're not going on that thing." I said without looking at Jake.

"Oh, but we are." He said, taking it by the handles and rolling it into the open air. "I have two helmets, even. One for me and one for you."

I knew there was no point in arguing. He would get his way, he always got his way with me, but I still felt nervous about swinging my leg over that thing to perch perilously on the edge. I took the helmet Jake offered and tightened it so tight on my head that it hurt. At least I knew it was on.

I watched Jake throw his leg over the side easily and sit as far as he could to make room for me. The first time I tried to send me leg over I hit the bike and pain shot up my shin. Jake had the right mind to not even budge a smile. The second time I staggered over it but I was able to sit. I put my feet on the first holding I found and wrapped my arms tightly around Jake with my head burried in his back. Please, I begged silently, let's not die.

"You ready?" He asked. I nodded into his back. Expertly, he kicked the bike twice and it roared to life startling me. "Hold on!" He yelled and without further ado we took off at a very, very fast speed. I was going to be sick, there was no way about this. I'd take thrown over Jake's shoulder any day. Everything flew by so fast it was nothing but green, brown, and red blurs with muffled whooshing in my ears. I closed my eyes and pressed my face back into Jake's back and forced myself to think about this week's meals for lunch at the university.

We didn't ride for long and we did eventually slow to a stop. And it was a wonderful stop; everything stood still.

"Bells, you're going to have to let me go, you know."

"I'm using you for an anchor. Give me a minute, I'm waiting for my world to stop spinning." His body vibrated with his silent chuckle. With each deep breath I felt better and I was able to eventually let him go. He swung off without hitting me and watched me expectantly.

"Aren't you going to get off?"

I paused. "I think I may be stuck."

"Bella, Bella, Bella," Jake sighed, but he hauled me off like a two year old. "You're going to have to work on this motion sickness if you want to ride the bike."

"I don't want to ride the bike." I groaned. "I want the car or to walk. Not the bike." I saw his face fell and felt worse for it.

"You don't like my bike?"

"No, that's not what I meant," I grumbled, acting my age. "I'm sorry. I like the bike, I just like the world to stay still too."

His forehead kept the disappointed 'v' but he smiled despite it. "Well, come on. It's about lunch time and you're going to have to eat."

"But we just ate."

"You're not hungry?"

"No."

"Huh. Well, I am." He held the door open for me and went straight for a table that was obviously a constant haunt. "If you want anything just say so." He said, not even bothering to look at the small menu while a waitress appeared out of nowhere. "Hello, Jacob," she said. When I looked at her I thought she was pretty with her bright red hair and green eyes and then I noticed that she was crooning, "So, the usual? I'll get it out for you right away," and then sauntered off.

I stared after her and then turned to Jake feeling strangely satisfied. "So... Jake," I started, trying to fight off a smile. "You got a girlfriend yet?"

He appeared to choke on air. "What?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

A slow smile grew along his full mouth. "Why?"

"Because that girl has got it for you bad." I informed, nodding to her behind the counter. "I don't think she'd say no to a date."

"She's not my type." He grumbled, switching into a bad mood.

"Oh, you have a type? What kind of girl do you like?"

"Don't worry about it," he mumbled.

"No, I want to know. C'mon, Jakey, tell me."

"If you call me Jakey again you are never going to know."

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, please tell me."

He contemplated it for a moment, looking at me as if to size me up for the information. "Fine. I guess... I guess I like a girl who's funny."

"Uh-huh," I encouraged.

"And she has to have a personality. You know, she can't just sit there like a zombie. And, um, she has to be caring and selfless."

"Is that it?"

"No."

"Are you going to tell me the rest?"

"Oh, look, Paul's here. Paul!"

I knew that name from somewhere. I turned in my seat to see a boy almost as tall as Jacob with darker skin and shorter hair. I sank down in my seat and tried to hide my face. Paul was from that disasterous night with Edward at the restaurant. "Hey, Jake. What's up?" He dragged a chair over and sat down by Jake. "You planning on going with us to the cliffs?"

"Sure. Tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yep." And of course Paul noticed me, squinted his eyes slightly, and then grinned. "You were with Masen, weren't you?"

"Well-"

"Yeah. You were the one he was out with at that rich restaurant. What, did he dump you right after?"

"No, we-"

"He drives me nuts." Paul grumbled, throwing himself against he back of his chair. "I mean, he thinks he's got it bad with his dad dying. Please. My mother died too but you don't see me moaning and bitching about it."

"Paul, come on, man." Jake interjected, his fingers wide before he flopped them back down on the table.

"Oh wait, his mom does sleep around with that doctor. Probably has been since before his dad commited suicide."

"Suicide?" I asked, shocked.

"Oh, he didn't tell you? His mother was the one that drove him to it. You see," he leaned in closer and I found myself doing the same thing. "See, his mom was married to his dad for eighteen years and somewhere along the way she had an affair with the good doc and then his dad found out and commited suicide." Paul shrugged. "Sounds like a whore to me."

I gaped. "Which doctor?"

"Doctor Carlisle Cullen."

I didn't recognize the name. "So his dad commited suicide because his wife was having an affair? I mean, it's terrible and all, but why didn't he just divorce her?"

"Because he had some mental disease."

My eyes widened.

"Oh, he didn't tell you that either? Yeah, the story is is that his dad had some mental disease like schizo or something, went crazy with grief at his wife and swallowed a bunch of pills. And still she keeps the doc around. I think Masen was about ten at the time." He paused, like a dramatic effect, and then leaned back in his chair. "I still can't stand Edward Masen. I don't know how he became the golden child, especially with who his mother is and that insanity might be hiding in that tiny brain of his. I mean, you saw how he acted at the restaurant. One minute really calm and the next he was about to kill me. Not that he could, but still."

It was like ice had froze me to the chair. My insides were suddenly cold and I couldn't move anything.

"Paul, you've said enough." I heard quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to take Bella back to my place."

"Alright, man." Paul said, standing like he hadn't said anything important. "See you tomorrow. See you, Bella." And he left with his hands in his pockets.

Jake was staring after Paul with black eyes and then back to me with those same eyes. "He shouldn't have said all of that."

"No, I... It's fine." I said. "It doesn't matter. Um, anyway, do you want to eat or..."

"Yeah. You should eat something too."

"I don't have money and I'm not going to let you pay." I said before he could offer.

"Then pick off my plate." He said as the red headed girl came back with his order of the biggest burger I had ever seen and fries. "Is there anything I can get you?" She asked me nicely.

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

"Well, if there is, please let me know." She said, tucking her pad back into her pocket.

I felt a little too sick to eat. His father's suicide, his mother's affair, and a mental sickness, and all at ten years old... what Edward must have gone through. While Jake finished his plate, all I could think about was how hurt he had been and how alone he must feel.


	11. Jake

After writing this I realized how much I love Jacob. Not that I didn't know, but I realized how people bash that poor boy terribly and make him SO out of character. Though I am Team Edward all the way, Jake was only trying to win the losing battle.

Also, this is late because I just got back from HARRY POTTER WORLD! It was amazing. I severely suggest everyone who can go, go. It's worth it. Just don't go yet because there are so many people there. There are thirty minute lines just to get into the stores.

I had forgotten how Jake's room had smelled. A lot like Jake, a lot like home. It was a comfort to be back, sitting on his bed while he was taking a shower, remembering the "camps" we had made in his living room with these sheets as kids, or how he had let me sit in this very spot and cry to him when my mother had died. It brought back memories of when he would sleep on the floor and let me have his bed until I had a bad nightmare and then he would crawl in with me and comfort me until I fell back asleep. I always woke up alone though.

His door opened while I was lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Hey, Jake, do you know where I put my pajamas -?"

"Yeah, they're in the closet - why are you staring at me like that?"

To my utter disbelief, Jake was very ... filled out. I knew he spent most of his time lifting heavy objects and working hours of manual labour in his garage, but this was... And then I realized he had only a towel wrapped around him and I threw myself around to cover my eyes. "Jake! Put some clothes on!"

"What? Does my being half naked bother you?"

"Jacob!"

"Jeeze, Bells, you'd think you'd never seen me not wear a shirt before. Or that you'd never seen me naked."

"That was when we were too young to know about our differences!' I yelled, completely mortified.

"Calm down, Bella. Look, I'm dressed."

I peeked through my fingers and he was, but he still didn't wear a shirt. Why was it so embarassing that he was shirtless?

"Do you want a shower? Or are you afraid I'll walk in on you?" He rolled his eyes and threw me a clean towel. "And your extra toothbrush is in the cabinet." My mouth set in a firm line as I marched past him. Stupid boy with his sarcasm. I shut the door, rummaging for my toothbrush before I got in the shower. They still bought the same shampoo. All these details were constant and with them my old memories. Good memories that made me feel empty because my life wasn't like it anymore.

I stayed in the water a little too long, the hot water ran longer in their house than it did in mine and it helped relax the tight muscles in my shoulders and back.

I brushed my teeth when I got out and threw my wet hair in a pony tail before I realized that I didn't have my pajamas. I huffed and wrapped the towel tighter around me before I poked my head out the door.

"Jake!"

"Yeah?"

"Will you bring me my pajamas, please?"

He came padding out his room, still without a shirt, and brought me the old pair of sweat pants and tank top I normally wore and handed them to me without a word, but the look in his eyes told me all I needed to know.

"Yes, Jake, I was in such a rush I forgot them. Go away."

He waved his hand at me and then disappeared back into his room.

I followed him back there when I was dressed to find him lying on his bed with his hands behind his head. He didn't turn to look at me when he said, "Bells, do you ever think about what would have happened if things had stayed the way they were?"

Constantly. But I swallowed those words and said instead, "There isn't much of a point. I mean, it's already done with. Thinking about it won't change anything."

"I know. But - I dunno - I just think things would have been different."

I sat on the edge of his bed with one foot bent under me. "I know," I said softly. "But we still can't change anything."

He looked at me then and scooted over so he was pressed against the wall. I took the invitation, lying facing him. He only had his lamp turned on and its circle of light was only around us.

"Bella, why don't you ever come over anymore?"

"I already told you, Jake, I can't. Peter doesn't like it."

He scoffed. "Peter isn't your dad and he doesn't try to be. Why do you listen to him?"

Because if I didn't, I didn't know what would happen. But if I told that to Jake he would try to do something about it, rescue me like he had so many times before. But he couldn't this time. "Because it keeps a fight from happening and it doesn't stress Sue out."

"Feel free to tell me the real reason whenever you want."

"It is the real reason."

"Alright." But he didn't believe me but he wouldn't pressure me so I let it go.

We lay in silence for a little while, until I thought I'd fall asleep. I almost did when I heard. "I've missed you."

I opened my eyes and saw that Jake was still wide awake and looking at me with such brown eyes. I blinked slowly and smiled. "I've missed you too."

Gently, he put his arms around me and brought me closer to him. He was radiating warmth and smelled like rich earth, the most comforting thing in my life. I curled closer to him and breathed.

"Love you, Jake." I whispered.

"Yeah. Me too." He said.

I smiled and fell asleep.

I woke up screaming and crying. I don't remember the dream, I don't know why it scared me, but my heart was racing and I couldn't make it stop. It was so dark, I didn't know where I was and I was terrified. The dark was pressing on me like water, suffocating me. My mind was in a frenzy to remember where I was and what had happened and what was real. All I could remember were hands holding me down no matter how hard I kicked and screamed.

"Bella, shh, you're fine. You're fine." Warm arms, protective arms, wrapped themselves tightly around me and let me cry into his shoulder. I threw my own arms around his neck and sobbed.

"I don't know what to do." I cried. "I'm so scared, Jake." He held me tighter, to the point where I thought I would break in half, but right here was where I was safest.

"Ssh, Bella. Stop crying, come on now. It's just a nightmare."

"It felt so real. I thought I was going to die."

"Do you want to tell me what it was about?"

"I couldn't if I wanted to. I don't remember it."

He rocked me slowly, his fingers spread wide over my back and head to protect me from the invisible nightmare. "It's alright now. See? You're here, with me, and I'm not going to let anything happen to you." I felt him pull back but couldn't see his face in the darkness. I felt his thumbs softly wiping across my cheeks, brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop. "Hey," he murmured softly, "it's done with. It's over."

"I'm sorry," I continued to gasp, trying to get myself under control. "I don't know what happened or what I dreamed. I just feel so scared, like everything is falling apart."

"Bella," his hands cradeled my face and I felt warmth. "Bella, listen to me. I'm here, right here. I'm not going anywhere so I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Nothing is falling apart, understand?" I nodded. He sighed. "Good," and he wrapped me tightly in his arms again, continuing to rock me until I was done crying, but I didn't move. Carefully, Jake pulled back and laid down before he pulled me with him. I laid over his heart, listening to the giant thing thump, feeling the tiny pulse of his skin with each beat.

"Bella, I won't let anything happen to you." He promised again, so softly his voice was like a light in the darkness. I buried my face into his neck and tried to calm my ragged breathing to match his. "You are always going to be safe with me. Why can't you understand that? Huh?"

I still felt the tears and my body would shake as if it were cold, but other than that I was forcing my body back under my control. "I forget a lot of things in the dark, Jake." I whispered. "Sometimes, it's hard to believe what was real and what wasn't."

His fingers found mine in the dark and he squeezed them. "That wasn't real. This is." He squeezed my fingers again. "Think of me as the barrier. Nothing gets past me to you. I won't let it. I'm made of muscle, remember?" I couldn't smile at the joke. I couldn't. I could only move closer to him and smell his earthy scent and close my eyes.

I woke up to the gentle jostling of my body and the soft sound of rustling sheets. I rolled away and opened my eyes to see Jake trying to silently jump over my body. "Did I wake you? Sorry." He said softly. "You okay?"

I nodded sleepily. "Yeah." I breathed in deeply and stretched lazily, letting my limbs flop back down to the bed.

Jake laughed quietly and said, "Well, whenever you feel like getting up, I'll be in the living room helping Dad but go back to sleep if you want to. There's no rush." He quietly walked out of his room and closed his door with a gentle click. I heard him and Billie's rumble of incoherant words and the need to get up overwhelmed me. I didn't like being the only one asleep in someone else's house, no matter who they were. I came out into the living room, seeing Billie rolling his chair out onto the porch and Jake in the kitchen getting the frying pan started.

"Let me get breakfast," I said, playfully shoving him out of the way.

"I can cook breakfast."

"I know. But I make the better omelete." I held my hand out for two eggs and then dropped one.

"And I have the better coordination." Jake quickly wiped my mess up. "Don't burn your hand. I don't want to take you to the hospital."

"Jake, you run your mouth so often, I keep expecting it to run out of gas."

"Your puns are terrible."

I simply cracked the egg over the skillet edge and watched it sizzle. Jake and I didn't say much as I cooked and he sat at the counter doing nothing at all. "When do you want me to bring you back home?"

I froze in the middle of flipping the egg. I had completely forgotten that I had to go home. I forgot what was going to be waiting for me. I didn't want to go home.

"Bella? Hey, Bella!"

I jerked at the sound of Jake's voice and realized the spatula had melted to the bottom of the skillet. "Damn it!" I tried to pry it off and save something but it was like fighting a losing battle. "Im sorry!" I apologized. "I'll buy you a new skillet! And spatula!" I ran it over to the skin when it began to smoke vigorously and threw it under the cold water.

Jake wasn't fazed by the accident. I think by this point he expected it. "It was a cheap thing anyway. Don't worry about it, we have more."

I took the skillet out from under the sink to see that the spatula and egg had melted together and then hardened like rock to the bottom of the pan. I groaned and threw it back in the sink. "Well, that was a waste."

"I think I'll make breakfast then." Jake said, not at all mad, putting his hands on my shoulders and steering me to the counter. "Do you show off your cooking skills at the diner?" He joked trying to make me feel better. It just made me feel worse. I put my head in my hands and slumped against the counter.

"So, um, what time do you want me to bring you home?"

"A little later in the afternoon." I answered monotonely.

"Is there anything you want to do?"

"Can we just hang out here? Watch a movie or work in your garage?"

"Sure." By this time he had already brought out another pan and was cooking the egg without harm.

"Actually, I think I want to go work in your garage. Can we?"

"Sure, sure. But I think it'd be safer if you watched and I worked." He winked.

"Are you trying to make me feel bad?"

"Nope. I'm teaching you to laugh at yourself."  
"I can laugh at myself, just not when I damage other people and their stuff."

Billie came in at that time and looked from me to Jake. "You alright, Bella?"

"Mh? Oh, I'm fine. But I think I should tell you I ruined one of your skillets. And a spatula."

But like son like father, Billie laughed his good humoured laugh. "Not yet nine in the morning and something's gone wrong?" He wheeled himself beside me, pulling the paper from his lap. "It's fine, Bella. Don't beat yourself up over it. We have others."

I smiled. "Thanks, Billie."

"Hey, I said the same thing and you didn't believe me."

"That's because you don't pay for the stuff in this house." I answered lightly, thanking Billie for the comics he passed me.

"Hey!"

Jake did make a good egg, just not as good as mine when it didn't taste like melted plastic. The three of us talked about the past, present, and future. I didn't have much to say on the future or the present, but my silence was picked up by Billie and Jake. They told me about Jake's sister, Rachel, and how she was faring, though Jake didn't like how Paul was acting when she came around. Billie told me the stats on some of the games of the teams he and Dad used to watch together and though I didn't understand a word of it, it still made me happy to hear. When Billie asked me when I was going to college though, I clamped up and searched for an answer.

"I don't know, Billie. I mean, it's expensive and we don't have the money."

"Hey, Bella, you want to go to the garage now? Dad, do you need anything?"

"Nope. You kids have fun." He rolled himself into the living room while Jake and I quickly cleaned; I finished up while Jake ran back to his room to put a shirt on. When he came back out we went out the back and down the back porch stairs.

"Thanks for that." I said when we entered the old garage.

"No problem. I figured it was a sore subject right now."

"Just a little - woah! Is that what you've been working on?" I knew Jake had one bike, the one we rode periously yesterday, but I didn't know he was building one from scratch. "How long have you been working on this?"

"On and off for a year now. Got it from the junk yard and took it apart to fix and rebuild."

"Wow. It's pretty cool."

"Yep. You want to turn the radio on and we'll get to work? You still know what a screw driver is, right?"

I kicked the back of his leg lightly as I passed to go flip the switch on the old radio and then took a seat on a small step stool beside Jake.

"How long do you think this will take?" I asked, watching him wrench a bolt free.

"I dunno. This thing is a piece of junk. To turn it back to its former glory will take a while."

"I want to know when you finish it."

"Sure. You want to ride it? You could ride one and I'd ride the other."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

Jake worked on the bike for a long time, most of his concentration there. I watched his back flex and his arms move as he turned a wrench and wondered where the scrawny boy of my childhood had gone. I wondered what else I would realize I'd left behind me years ago.

When Dad had died, I was forced to leave a lot of things behind. My things, my room, my family, my friends. After we had moved in with Peter, my world had shrunk to that small house in the woods, as did Sue's. Sue didn't go out much anymore. She used to enjoy spending the day outside. She'd spend hours out in the sun in the garden, or when she cooked she always had the window open. Not anymore. I let myself worry sometimes over the way we were changing before I reminded myself there was nothing I could do about it.

When Jake sat back and held his hand out for a soda from the cooler, I gave it to him and sat beside him. "Nice work on the bike." I said.

"You don't notice any difference, do you?"

"It's shinier."

"Wow, Bells. Good observational skills."

I grinned and swallowed some soda. "I have no idea what how to even work a thing. Just be happy that I like watching you work, not many girls enjoy that."

"Yeah, not many." He sighed and then flashed me his white teeth in a smile. "So, think you can be here to help cheer me on? It would go much faster if you did."

"Maybe." I said, not even bothering to try to argue my point with him. "Maybe after work some days."

He stood and swatted the dirt off his pants and gave me his hand to help me up. "You know, I could keep you prisoner here. I'd feed you."

I smiled, knowing that beneath his teasing words he was very serious. I had no doubt that Jake and Billy would take me in if I ever asked, but I couldn't and wouldn't ask. The sooner he understood that, the easier it would be. Nontheless, I still felt tenderness towards Jake bloom in my chest. "That's sweet, Jake. But I have to go home."

He shrugged, but I didn't miss the way his eyes eyed me suspiciously as we picked our way to his car. "I'll wash the clothes for you later. You'll need them when you come over again." The way he said it made it sound like I didn't have a choice.

"Sure, Jake."

We got in his car at the same time and drove off for the lonely road to my house. I guess traffic was getting heavier, so Jake took an alternate route, one that went past the cliffs and the water. As we passed, I noticed a group of boys gathered around the cliffs, shoving each other to the point that one of them fell off.

"Oh my God!" I said, covering my mouth as he fell and hit the water.

"Don't worry," Jake said, waving his hand like he was driving off a fly. "They're just cliff diving."

"I know what they're doing! The question is who is insane enough to do it?"

"We are, apparently."

"Jake," I said, watching as another boy voluntarily jumped from the immense height, flipping twice before he hit the water feet first. "Are you really going to do this?"

"Sure am. It's fun, pure adrenaline."

"You and your friends are crazy. Idiots." I grumbled, turning away and another boy swan dived in.

We pulled out to the familiar road, and I felt myself sink lower in my seat. I seriously considered telling Jake to keep driving, but Sue would worry worse if I never came back and it would just be twice as bad later. I swallowed at seeing Peter's car and felt a little better when seeing Sue in the window of the living room. Sue would be more upset I hadn't said anything, but she would get over it.

When Jake parked the car, Sue noticed and went straight for the door. I sighed as I got out, taking a second to bend down and tell Jake, "Don't kill yourself on the cliffs, please. I would like to see you tomorrow in one piece."

"You got it," Jake answered. "I'll see you tomorrow." His eyes narrowed at the house and his mouth was a hard line, but he drove off when I shut the door. Before he pulled out, he shot one more look at me and then left.

When I turned around, Sue was standing there with her arms crossed and a look I knew well from my childhood; the one that told me I was in trouble, but it wasn't serious.

"Did you have fun?" She asked, her voice strangely calm.

"Yes," I said, being honest was my best bet, and if I did it without sounding like a rude teenager I could get her on my side.

She sighed and looked down at the stairs as I climbed up slowly. "I know you don't have much time to be with your friends, Bella, and I know you've known Jake since you were small. But you have to tell me when you're leaving. What if something had happened to you? I wouldn't have known where to start in the reservation."

"I'm sorry, Sue."

She looked at me seriously, saying, "I know. But, please, just tell me. Just take a second to run down the hall or to shout it to me. Something."

I nodded, staying quiet.

"I'm not mad. Let's go on inside and explain to Peter. He's going to be... difficult."

She put her arm around me and I felt a little better. With Sue beside me, I had a little protection from his wrath.

When we entered the house, he was standing beyond the threshold, but close enough that I knew I was not going to escape.

"Do you want to tell me," he said, a vein sticking out of his forehead, "where you've been the past two days?"

"I was with Jacob Black." I answered quietly.

"Excuse me? I didn't hear you."

"I was with Jacob Black." I said louder, looking anywhere but in his face.

"With Jacob Black. Funny, I remember clearly telling you you weren't allowed to go out with any boys, especially spending the night at their house!"

"I wasn't going out with him." I said. "I was spending time with him."

"Sounds like you were going out with him."

"No, Peter. I was spending time with him, there's a difference. I haven't spent any time with him for a long time and I wanted to."

Sue intervened, "Bella's known Jacob since they were kids. They've been friends for years. Stop acting like this, Peter."

He didn't even acknowledge he heard her. "So, you sleep with your friends?"

My head snapped up. "What? No! It's not like that with Jake!"

"Your - what's it called - friends with benefits then?"

My stomach rolled at the accusation that I would treat Jake so horribly. "No!"

"I think you're lying to me." He said, his face turning red. "I think you're going behind my back and keeping a string of boys following behind you for your pleasure."

"No, I'm not!"

"There's this Jake boy I've never met, this other boy, Edward, and all those other boys that have followed you around that school."

"Jacob is my friend and those other boys were - were teasing me during work!"

"And what about Edward, hm? You don't have an excuse for him?" I couldn't think straight enough to answer him.

"I'm not raising a slut in this house!"

"Peter!" Sue said, stepping forward. "What does it matter if she's been spending time with Jake? She's spent nights at his house before, since she was young."

"What about these other boys? What about what she's doing with them?" He yelled.

"I don't think she is!" Sue defended. "I've known Bella for years and I trust her to know better."

"You've known her for years? You're not her mother! You don't know her!" I didn't have to look at Sue's face to see the blow he had just yelled. "Look at her, Susan!" He said, moving forward and grabbing my face hard between his fingers. "Look at her face! It's obvious! She's had sex with him!" He dragged me closer to his face where he hissed, "Was it good, Isabella? Was it worth it?"

"Peter Tollam, you will not speak to my daughter this way!" Sue shouted, stepping between us and shoving us apart. "She hasn't done anything wrong and I will not tollerate you saying such terrible things to her!"

The vein in Peter's forehead became more prominant and the an ugly shade of purple rose in his cheeks. "I am not housing a slut in this house! I took the both of you in because you were on the street with nowhere to go! I took in the both of you out of the goodness of my heart and this is how I'm repaid? I wasn't aware I was taking in a night walking whore too."

It happened so fast that I almost wasn't sure it had happened: Sue's hand shot out and slapped Peter straight across the face. His face didn't move as she did, but I saw the straight surprise before the anger rose again.

The sharp sound of the slap was followed by dead silence. Peter was so angry he didn't say anything. He looked daggerdly at Sue and then at me. I shrunk away from the look beneath the anger, reaching for Sue's hand. With his teeth clenched and breathing harshly through his nose, Peter stomped away, slamming the door he shared with Sue so hard the hallway rattled.

I watched Sue deflate before me. When she was angry, she looked like a monumental person, one you couldn't cross or overcome despite her size. But now she looked tiny, small, and tired.

"He'll be fine later." She said quietly, I guessed in fear that he would hear her. "Just don't be around him for a while, Bella." She met my eyes with hers and touched my cheek. "What he said was inexcusable, I know. But he said it angry. He was agitated all yesterday and last night wondering where you were. He even searched your room, thinking there might be a note there. I'll talk to him later. I'll make sure he never talks that way to you again and that he never reacts this way again. Are you okay?"

"Yes." I lied.


	12. Slow Process

I am not going to lie to any of you, this chapter was written without any warning or any planning. I got writer's block and just started writing and this came out. I mean, what happens moves the plot along, develops characters and all, but I had no idea what was going to happen. These characters are the ones who take credit for this one, not me.

And, dear God, I apologize for the terrible cliches.

"Edible art?"

I nearly dropped the plate of food I was supposed to be setting for the cafeteria line. It was early in the morning and I was alone in the cafeteria setting up for the day. Students didn't come in during this time and it was raining hard, flashing lightening and thundering, which was why I was scared silly by Edward's voice.

"My apologies," he grinned, "I didn't mean to scare you." He looked again at the pile of vegetables and fruites I had placed on the counter, the food I had arranged in the shape of a pyramid and sectioned by colors.

"It's almost a shame to eat it," he said, taking the apple off the top and biting into it.

I glanced over my shoulder for any sign of Peter. "What are you doing? Don't you have class?"

"Later I do. I came here to see you. How was the rest of your weekend?" He asked, biting into the apple again. I was distracted by how his jaw moved as he chewed and answered honestly, "It was fine until yesterday."

"What happened?" He asked.

"Um, I got in trouble for hanging out with my friend."

"Sneaking out?"

"Nope. Kidnapped."

He raised an eyebrow. "Good to see you still in one piece."

I smiled. "Jake just wanted me to spend time with him and I kept telling him no because of - of my work. So he surprised me Saturday and took me to his house and I didn't tell my parents and I got in trouble for it. It's no big deal."

"Hm." He said, finishing the apple and tossing it in the trashcan behind him. "Well then, if you're not in much trouble anymore, perhaps you would like to accompany me to the music room again some time soon."

My heart sped up ahead of my mind and played a fast tattoo against my skin. "I'd love to." But then I noticed the register and remembered Peter. "But I can't."

Edward's face fell. "Why not?"

"I just can't. Not yet." Why couldn't any of them just accept my answer? No means no and all that. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it has nothing to do with you, it's just..." I bit my lip, wondering how to explain -

"Then let me take you somewhere for your break."

I wanted to laugh. What break? "That's nice, but I don't get a break."

His eyesbrows rose. "You have no time whatsoever?"

I shook my head. "No. I mean it's not a hard job, I work from about twelve to five -"

"Without a break."

I shrugged. "I get one at Webber's."

"Webber's?"

"The restaurant I work at before I come here."

He looked thoroughly shocked. "You work two jobs?"

"I'm not a slave. I just... work a little extra."

He ran his hand through his hair, a habit I realized he did when he was thinking, and rubbed his chin. "Do your parents get them either?"

"No, but we didn't ask for them, so it's not a big deal."

His hand was back in his hair and he closed his eyes and the bridge of his nose wrinkled, like he was trying to concentrate. "I have never known a person - What if you joined me and my friends out for a night? Would that be better?"

"What, you Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't I be imposing?"

"Not at all."

I bit my lip. "What would we be doing?"

"We have a friendly game of baseball when we have the time. We're actually having one this weekend on Saturday. Would you like to play?"

I imagined myself out there, where it would probably be muddy from the constant rain and the wayward ball that would no doubt find my forehead. "Sports and me don't mix. Remember skating?"

Should I have brought that up? Did he remember that time like I did? But it looked like he didn't, or at least he didn't care about it anymore.

"I have faith that you'll be fine. You can umpire if you want." Those eyes were hypnotic. I swear, if he ever wanted to dazzle someone into getting what he wanted, he'd be unstoppable. And that grin, the way it set crooked and melted any hard resolve I had against him for his own good.

My teeth came down harder on my bottom lip as I considered the danger and the fun I'd get into. But I wanted to.

So my hard resolve crumbled against my better judgment and gave in. "Sure."

Edward's smile was beautiful, making me feel better about my stupidity.

Lightening flashed outside, lighting every crevice of the restaurant and making it all shine eerily. I jumped and knocked the entire tray of food over, scattering them across the floor and under the counter.

I made of noise of exasperation and bent down to pick them up, but they were already halfway off the floor because Edward was making a better job of it than I would have. In fact, by the time I had actually grabbed one, he had them all piled back on the tray. Not in the nice orderly fashion I had them in, but the mess was easily cleaned. As he finished, I spotted one just under the counter and reached for it, but my hand was eclipsed by his completely. I marveled again at his hands and his fingers. They were so big but perfect in proportion. He had beautiful hands and he put them to good use in the music room.

These thoughts flitted through my mind fast enough that I was able to push them away, grab the orange, and hand it back to Edward where it set it on the tray.

"Thank you," I said. "I suppose I'll go wash these off before the horde of people come in."

"Would you like help?"

"No. I got it. I'm bored enough as it is, I might as well consider this a break." He didn't appreciate the joke. "I don't want to keep you from class. Go on and get an education, I'm fine here."

The lightening had scared me, which reminded me that I wouldn't be alone soon. I had to get Edward out, Peter still wasn't in a good mood after yesterday and I wanted him out of here before he caught wind.

I took the tray of assorted and now mixed vegetables and fruit back to the kitchen and dumped them all carefully into the sink, running the water. Moving and rolling them around had me occupied for a while until it suddenly registered with me that maybe his friends wouldn't take highly when they found out I was joining their group. I mean, they all seemed so close to one another that another person would just upset that balance. Damn Edward and his eyes and smile and voice -

Peter scared the living daylights out of me when he rushed through the door, literally shaking water everywhere. When he saw me leaning against the counter with the startled expression, his eyes narrowed. "What's got you nervous? You hiding something?"

"No," I said, getting the food out of the sink and drying it with a clean towel. "This storm just has me spooked is all."

I tried to ignore him or, even better, to meld into the cabinets so I wouldn't have to deal with his leering.

"Storms don't scare you." He pointed out rudely.

"They do when I'm in this huge cafeteria that echos with its lights flashing by myself." I said. "I need to go wash the tables."

I rushed out before he could answer and sprayed the three nearest tables with bleach, leaning over them to make sure the farthest corners were clean.

"So, you're joining us this weekend?"

I jumped, knocking my knee into the table hard. Wincing, I looked up to see the small girl that hung out with Edward, Alice.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed. "I didn't mean to sneak up on you. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I assured, knowing for a fact there'd be a huge bruise later. "I know you didn't. I've already dropped a tray of food because of this storm." She was standing there, obviously not knowing what to say and neither did I. "Yeah, I - I guess I'm coming with you this weekend." I said, trying to break the silence between us. "Is that alright? I don't mind if it's going to cause trouble-"

"Why would it cause trouble?" She asked, her eyes wide. "I just wanted to make sure because Edward just told me as he passed me in the hall and if you were I was going to have to figure out how we all were going to get there. But I guess Edward will take you and the rest of us will take Emmett's Jeep. You've got clothes to play in right?" At my startled look she continued quickly, "I mean, I have some if you need any. They're just old clothes, nothing will happen if they get muddy or torn. I don't know how hard you play ball but," she let the sentence hang and shrugged her small shoulders.

It was hard picturing her playing baseball. Her height and liquid build reminded me more of a dancer than a ball player. "I don't play ball." I said. "I'll just end up hurting someone, most likely myself. But Edward said I could be umpire, so I think I'll do that instead."

"It's fine with me and I know the others won't mind. Emmett's been dying to see you again, he thinks you're funny. In a good way." She said quickly.

"Don't worry, Alice, there's not much you could say to hurt my feelings." I smiled, thinking that Alice was considerate of me, but I didn't want her thinking she had to take care of the cafeteria girl. I didn't want her to think I was a charity case that needed to be tip toed around.

"Actually, Alice, could I ask a favor?"

"Sure." She said without even thinking. She had to have great confidence in herself to agree to a favor she didn't know that fast. "Do you think you could come get me this weekend? See, I don't have a car and, not that I don't want to go with Edward, but my," I lowered my voice. "my step dad has no idea that I'm going with you and he's not going to like it if he finds out because he's against me being around guys." I saw her eye brows shoot up suspiciously, but I ignored them and went on, "But if I went with you, I'd be able to go." I repeated in my mind what I had just said and blushed so hard it went down my neck. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound - you don't have to. I'll find another way to get there."

"No, no, of course I'll come get you. I'll tell Edward we'll meet him there and then you and I can get to know each other more. I'd like to be your friend, Bella."

The words caught me off guard. "I'd like that too." I found myself saying.

Alice's smile was different that Edward's. Her smile was full of energy, full of life, and her whole face glowed.

The bell rang above us, barely heard over the thunder.

"Then if I don't see you today at lunch, I'll see you later this week. I have some things I need to take care of." She ran out the door, waving as she went. Even as she ran it was like a dancer's leap. I wondered how she was going to get away with taking bases.

It was Wednesday when I got the courage to ask to go... with minor details left out. I'd figured it would be better if I asked them together so it wouldn't look like I was sneaking around. It was that night at dinner that I approached it.

"Do you mind if I go do something with a friend this weekend?" Maybe not so bluntly as that.

Both of their forks stopped halfway to their mouths.

"Who are you going with?" Was the first question out of Peter's mouth.

"I'll be going with Alice."

"Who's Alice?" Sue asked.

"She's one of the girls that goes to the school we work at. She's really nice."

"I don't see a problem with it." Sue said sweetly. "I hope you have a good time."

Already with her verdict, Peter didn't counter object but he did huff into his food and continue eating without looking up.

Sue wiped her mouth with her napkin."When are you leaving?"

"Alice is going to come get me on Saturday."

"And what are you going to be doing?" Peter grouched.

"Hanging out I guess." This wasn't a lie. I wouldn't be playing baseball. "I'm not sure how long we'll be."

"I don't know," said Peter, setting his fork down and folding his hands together on the table. "I think after your little stunt you shouldn't be allowed to go."

Sue's head turn to look at him as she said, "She's already been told she can go."

"Yeah, by you." He retaliated. "I never said she could."

"Now, Peter -"

But he held up his hand to silence her as he addressed me. "You blantantly break my rules and think you got away with it? No ma'am. If you want to go so badly, you'll do whatever I tell you to do. And," he continued, pinning me with his blue grey eyes, "if you disobey or I don't think you earned to go, you won't go." He picked up his fork and began eating again. "It's as simple as that."

Sue was staring at him like he was crazy, her eyes going back and forth between us as if she was deciding who's side to take. "Peter, don't you think you're overreacting a little-"

"No. And if you're trying want to run my house, well then the door is right there and you can leave to go run another house."

We both froze. He may have done some things in the past, but he had never threatened to throw either of us out, especially Sue. I had been under the impression that he loved her more than me and would never have done anything to her as cruel as this.

She backed off right after that, her eyes pleading with me to understand. Of course I did. A roof over our heads was more important than going out with some kids I didn't even know.

Going to bed that night was slightly depressing. If I was honest with myself, I knew I wanted to go. I wanted to be around people my age. I wanted to talk easy and laugh easy and not have to worry about anything. I wanted to feel normal.

When I got up the next morning, it was still dark, like always. I was in the middle of putting my hair up with the bobby pins when I realized that I looked... older. A little too old for my age. But taking my hair down for work was too weird so I opted for pulling half of my hair back.

Better.

I was early for work at Webber's, getting there before Eric, which had never happened before. I spent the time before opening sweeping and mopping and cleaning off the tables, even organizing Eric's work station.

When Eric finally came in, right on time, his eyes widened when he saw me. "You're here before me?" He noticed his station. "And you cleaned for me too. Are you sick?"

"Nope. Perfectly fine." I saw the large, healing scar on his palm and felt my stomach roll. I could still hear the sizzling skin on the burning ovent top. "Your hand any better?"

He looked at it like he had just noticed it was there. "Yeah. I don't think it'll heal scar-free, but it doesn't hurt anymore."

"Did I tell you I was sorry?"

He rolled his eyes. "A million times, Bella. It's been weeks, why are you worrying about it?"

"Just worried you'll never be able to flip a burger again." I shrugged, nonchalant.

"You know, there are times when I can't tell if you're joking or not."

I just shrugged again.

The bells above the door jingled, making Eric and I scatter for our appropriate places. I was out in a flash with a smile and my notepad and that was where I stopped mid step. It was the blonde man from before, the one I had uncermoniously spilled an entire tray of food on. It wasn't strange that he was here, most people of Forks came in a few times, but mostly those that lived out in the trees, not those that lived in the city like he did. Blinking back my surprise, I put the smile back on and addressed him.

"Welcome to Webber's. What can I get for you today?" He glanced at me and smiled.

"Well, it seems we meet again. I see you don't have a tray of food spilled around us." His voice was light, with no hint whatsoever that he was angry at our last meeting, but I still felt the traitorous blush up my neck. "I'm so sorry about that." I said.

He smiled, a bright, comfortable smile. "Don't be. Accidents happen all the time. You should have seen the mess I made when I was in the operating room a few days ago. I knocked over an entire table of antiseptics and instruments. Good thing it wasn't an actual operation and I was alone to clean up my mess, but I've been a doctor for years now and I still make mistakes."

At that time I was wondering if he was telling me the truth, because if I had known that about my doctor, if I had one, I would have been questioning his medical degree. Tailing behind that thought was the bull dozing recognition of who this man was.

"You're Carlisle Cullen, aren't you? I mean, Dr. Cullen." I fixed, astounded.

He nodded, the smile still calmly on his face. "Have we met before?"

I shook my head, stalling time for me to get used to the fact that Dr. Cullen was sitting in front of me. "No - No, sir. I just - I had heard your name - what can I get you?"

He gave me his simple order without acknowlodging my stammering and I was back in the kitchen, finding any excuse to not have to look at him. I don't think I was disgusted, or angry, but I didn't know how to handle seeing him after I knew what had happened between him and Edward's family.

"What are you doing?" Eric asked.

I floundered for an excuse. "Left my pen in here."

"Then how are you giving me the customer's order?"

"Borrowed their's." I made up the excuse over my shoulder before disappearing out the door.

A few more early birds had come in, like always. I tended to them and made small talk, but always my eyes went back to the blonde man. He was such at ease in his chair, waiting patiently as he made notes to himself on his napkin. It was a given he was handsome with his straight nose, strong jaw, and honest golden brown eyes; women were eyeing him from ever corner of the reastaurant. He had an easy grace about him, it showed in every move he made. And he was calming along with charming. It wasn't a wonder how a woman could fall for him.

But was he really the bad person that Paul had made him out to be?

"Do you know Dr. Cullen?" I asked Eric when I went back to the kitchen. He was finishing up three different orders.

"Sure, just about everyone knows him. He's a prestigious doctor, very gifted some say. Why? Is he here?"

"Yeah, first order of the morning. I don't know, I had heard something about him from one of Jake's friends and didn't know what to think."

"I don't know much about him except he saved my dad's life after he got in that accident. Apparently, he hasn't lost a patient yet but that's what I've heard."

I picked up Dr. Cullen's meal just as Eric placed it on the plate and was very careful in setting in in front of him.

"Thank you." Was all he said, kindly.

The next words exchanged came when I went to get his check. "You work at the University, don't you?"

I didn't think he would recognize me except as the girl who had spilled food all over him. When he had met me at the school, it was brief and, if I remembered right, the headmaster was in need of his attention.

"Yes, sir. I work in the cafeteria."

"You don't go to school there?"

I shook my head, keeping the smile on my face. "No, sir. But it's fine, you know, it's a good job and the people are nice. I like the headmaster and her students are very ... nice." I added lamely.

"Yes, they are." He smiled. "Have you spent much time with the headmaster?"

"No, sir, I've only met her on occasion, but she seems nice."

He smiled. "She is. She's the most caring person I know. I don't think she has a malicious bone in her body." He said it with such a straight, gentle face that I almost felt it.

"I think so, too." I said, so awkwardly I might have said I had a sixth finger on my left hand. And I continued to stand there without anything to say or do.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to work." I wanted to hit myself I felt so stupid. "I'll just... go. Now."

I was trying to shield my head from the pelting rain as I ran into the cafeteria. I shook the rain from my face while going back into the kitchen, reaching for the towel hanging from the oven to dry off my ends.

As I was squeezing the water out, the door banged open and I jumped against the wall, my hand landing on the handle of the large cutting knife I was going to use on the vegetables.

"It's just me," the voice I knew well said beneath a hood of a rain jacket. It should be a sin to look so good soaking wet. "Are you going to cut me?" Edward said as he pushed his hood down, smirking at the knife.

I blushed so hard I thought my face would burst into flame. I threw the knife down and hid my face by busing myself for turning for my uniform.

"I was only kidding." I heard from right behind me. A hand came out to grasp my wrist and turn me back around. He was so close I felt my breath stop and my legs freeze. I don't know how many times I was going to be surprised by how handsome he was; he was the perfect coordination of colors, his pale skin, green eyes, and bronze hair. It was like looking at a masterpiece.

Whatever he was going to say didn't come. Instead, his eyes roamed over my face, from my jaw to my forehead, and back to my eyes. But when my mouth fell open slightly at the darkening of his eyes, they flicked there and I saw his head lean slightly towards me.

He was a few inches from me when he asked softly, "May I?"

It didn't escape me he was asking even after I said what I did the night in the music room. But it felt to me now that he was asking to maybe show me he wasn't going to trick me, to prove me wrong.

I couldn't get proper words out, so I nodded, but it made the room spin, I was dizzy, and I fell back a step, feeling the edge of the counter pressing into my back. He was smiling that beautiful crooked smile and took that extra step to be right in front of me, his hands placing themselves on either side of me, his scent assaulted me, drugged me and my mind was wiped blank.

Why was it taking so long for him to kiss me? Or was it just me? Was he taking his time to be sure I didn't bite him? Because, why would I? I mean, why would I want to malciously hurt him and cause him to bleed? It would be rude. It would be -

His mouth just a soft pressure against mine, sending my heart sprinting and the blood rushing beneath my skin. I gasped at the sensation that shot straight to my stomach, like a thousand birds had suddenly taken off.

He took that moment to let his tongue trace mine and I jerked away. He was startled and it showed. He didn't expect me to do that which meant I wasn't supposed to and what the hell did I just do?

Humiliation. It's a horrible feeling and it burns all the way from the core to the skin.

"I'm sorry." I said quickly.

"I didn't -"

"No! It wasn't you, it was me. I just - I haven't - damn." I covered my mouth and looked away, willing the tears to disappear before they fell. "I'm sorry." I wished my voice hadn't broken, this was just making it worse.

"What are you apologizing for?" Even without looking at him I heard the smile. Great, he was laughing at me. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I just - I got to get back to work. I'll see you later." I tried to make an escape but he stepped right in front of me.

"Tell me what happened? Did I bite you?"

I burst out into giggles at the absurdity of that. "No, I'm just not... experienced."

I glanced a look to see him confused and sighed, forcing my humiliation away. Without looking him in the eye, I flushed, "I've never been kissed like - that before."

I was very glad I didn't have to elaborate.

"You've never been kissed?"

I shook my head.

"Have you ever dated?"

Again, I shook my head.

His face was blank, so I took the oppurtunity to come up with my nonchalant response for when he told me he didn't want someone like me.

"Well, then we'll just have to fix that, won't we?"

He leaned down and kissed me again, but no open mouth. Just a press and he was gone. "It's a start." He winked.

I touched my mouth without thinking and nodded.

After a long, only slightly awkward pause, he asked, "So, how long are you working?"

"Um, until five, why?"

"Do you think you could get out a few hours early?"

"Why?"

"The team is having a baseball practice and I was thinking maybe you'd could come watch?"

I bit my lip and looked over his shoulder towards the door. "I don't know."

"Practice isn't until three. Could you make it?"

Only in Forks, Washington could it be raining buckets and the sports team would still be out practicing.

Edward continued, "But if you don't want to, you don't have to. I just thought you might enjoy it - but that was stupid thinking wasn't it?"

I suddenly hated my life. I just did. Why did I have to sneak around to see Jake? Why couldn't I go out with Edward? Why couldn't I go to school or have friends?

So, without thinking of the consequences, I said. "No, it wasn't stupid. I'd love to come watch."

His repsonse was immediate and excited. "Good. I'll come get you."

"No! No, I'll meet you somewhere."

His look told me he thought I was being ridiculous.

"I just can't have - it's better if I meet you. Will the others be there?"

"Alice might and if she is then Jasper will be too. But it may just be you. Is that alright?"

I couldn't stop the smile splitting my face. "Sure." I was nowhere near experienced in this department of being a teenage girl. I was clueless. But despite that, I couldn't help but think how ... good it felt to be paid attention to like this. It made me feel like somewhere inside me, I was normal.

"Then meet me outside the baseball field."

Before Edward left, he grabbed an orange off the serving counter and tossed me a five before he left, jerking his hood over his head before he disappeared in the downpour.

"Hey, Sue, you don't need any help in the library do you? Because I wouldn't mind helping."

"Oh, no, Bella. I don't need any help. But thank you for asking."

"Peter ... do you think I could help Sue in the library today? She needs help organizing."  
A grunt was my answer.

So, at two fifty I left the cafeteria and made a dash for the baseball field.

The rain had let up considerably and left everything fresh smelling, but the ground was soaked through, making squelching sounds with my shoes as I tried to get to the field in time. Once, I stepped right out of my shoes and twice I was threatened with losing my left one. My bangs were sticking to my forehead with my effort and my legs were aching slightly with the strain.

But I made it.

If I thought the walk was bad, I would have hated to be on the field. It was wet, soggy, and large puddles had gathered near the back fences. It looked like the pristine white uniforms would be stained red by the end of this practice.

I couldn't tell one player from the other because they all wore the same uniform with base ball caps on, even though the sun wasn't shining at all through the thick blanket of clouds.

I clamoured up the bleachers and made myself comfortable half way up, the perfect place to see the entire field.

Searching the boys in the field, I looked for a familiar head of bronze hair or his face when they tilted their faces to the sky.

It wasn't until practice started that I recognized him. He had taken his hat off wipe his forehead and run his fingers through his hair before replacing his hat at the pitcher's mound, his other hand tightly clasping a baseball. I debated on waving to let him know I was here, but he looking attentively towards the catcher so I decided against it.

Just as a team member came up to bat, Edward shot the ball at him. The batter swung, missed, and the ball was caught with a muffled whump by the catcher. When he threw the ball back to Edward, I noticed he was shaking his hand.

Edward's pitches were so fast I didn't see some and so hard when they hit the fence when the catcher missed (on accident or purpose), the fence shook and rattled.

But Edward's pitches always went straight. If I learned anything from watching sports with my dad years ago, it was a pitcher always used whatever he had to to make a strike.

After three outs, the other team switched.

"Depending on how they play, I enjoy watching their games."

I looked over my shoulder to see Alice climbing the bleachers with ease, her boyfriend behind her. How she got up so far without me seeing, I don't know.

She settled a bleacher above me, her knees right beside my head as her boyfriend sat beside her. He nodded towards me easily, giving me a small smile.

"Know anything about the game?" Alice asked, her eyes on the first batter, who swung out before he even had a chance.

"A little. Enough to understand the basics." I answered. "You?"

She shrugged. "The basics."

"What Alice isn't tell you is she has a meaner right hand throw than Edward." Her boyfriend said. I didn't know how to answer that; I wasn't sure if we were supposed to be on uneasy ground.

But I glanced at Alice and said, "Do you play any of the sports? Like soft ball?"

She snorted and even made it sound lady like. "No. I play with my friends and that's it. I get the thrill of knowing that I play ball better than Edward, Emmett, and Jasper." As she named her boyfriend, she nudged him gently in the side with her own.

The second batter was Edward and he hit the ball the first try. That didn't surprise me much, at all. What shocked me was his speed.

He took off for the bases the second that ball cracked against the bat and he ran like the devil was chasing him.

Obviously, his team mates knew what to expect, because half the team already was running for the ball before Edward had even hit it and the other half ran for the ball before they knew where it was going for sure, but that didn't stop Edward from stealing base after base until he had finally crossed home in no time at all with the team throwing the ball at the catcher just as Edward finished his home run. He slid into the base, sending red, dirty droplets of water flying all around for no reason at all.

"Show off." Alice laughed.

I hadn't realized I was on my feet until I heard Alice cheering behind me, waving her hands.

"Edward's the fastest on the team." She informed without looking at me, her eyes following the form of her dirty friend. "Some even say he's the fastest in the state. His pitching's not bad and his swings are spot on, but if given the chance, he'll take that home plate before the other team can catch their spinning heads." She grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Wait until you see how these other teams play. Edward's the secret weapon that terrifies them all. They're still scrambling around by the time he's back in the dug out."

"You never stop talking, do you, Alice?"

Edward had his fingers curved around the chain linked fence, his hat discarded somewhere and not even breathing heavy at all with a smile aimed towards me. The entire left side of his face was smeared in dirt, as was his entire leg and side of his body, the rest of the white was speckled with wet red.

"So, you came."

I nodded. "I did."

"I'm glad." He winked. Alice cleared her throat and motioned toward her face and immediately Edward was trying to wipe off the dirt, but only smeared it worse. He frowned and made a face like he had a bad taste in his mouth before turning to spit red dirt. The face he made made me laugh and he turned those hard eyes on me just as he left the team was called for a team huddle.

I must have made a face too, because Alice whispered, "Don't worry about that. He makes that face when he's embarrassed."

All three of us watched as he loped easily towards the group of encrusted males, continuing to wipe his face. It didn't pass my notice, though, when he looked back at me, a smile split his face.

"Depsite what just happened, I think this is the first time we've seen him smile so often, don't you think, Jasper?" Alice asked, nonchalantly.

"Sure is."

"I don't know which I like more, the silence of his moodiness or how much he's eased up."

I wasn't paying much attention to what she was saying. I was too busy noticing the new body running towards the group in jeans, a green shirt, and blonde hair in a pony tail. They had a hat on their head and I couldn't see what they looked like, but the minute they stepped up to the plate with the bat in hand, the entire team stopped and looked at them.

"They don't know what to do." I heard suddenly. Swinging my head, I saw Headmaster Masen sitting on the first bleacher with a woman, a smile on her face. "It's alright!" She called, waving her han in a go-ahead motion towards the pitcher. He looked from her to the new person, shrugged his shoulders and threw the ball lightly.

Though it was easy enough to hit, the person didn't even bother to swing at it. So they took their hat off and threw it away, revealing the shiny, strawberry blonde pony tail better and a cocked eyebrow.

"Throw it at me with all you've got!" She yelled, adjusting the bat over her shoulder.

The pitcher looked towards the headmaster for what to do, but all she did was nod. So, he threw it, as hard and as fast as he could.

There was a crack that left the entire field speechless as the ball sailed over their heads and over the fence. The girl didn't even bother running, just standing there, jumping up and down and clapping her hands.

"I haven't hit one like that for a while now!" She cheered, throwing her fist in the air. "Did you see, Irina!"

The woman beside Esme nodded her head, waving.

I was so confused. I turned to Alice and Jasper to ask what was happening, but they were staring intently at the field. When I looked back, I saw Edward stalking over to her. The look on his face said he was not pleased.

I hopped off the bleacher and ran for the fence, ignoring Headmaster Esme, wrapping my fingers around the links.

Edward was close enough to grab her arm and turn her around to face him.

"What do you think you're doing?"

She wasn't even fazed. "Playing ball. What are you doing?"

"I don't need your attitude." His eyes flashed dark. "We're having practice and you need to get off the field now."

She only smiled and put her cap back on. "Are you upset because a girl plays better than the lot of you?"

From where I was standing I could still see Edward's eyes narrow. Or maybe I felt it.

"Get off the field."

She just shrugged her shoulders, tossing the bat aside. "I'll see you later."

"I doubt it." Edward said, loud enough for her to hear. She left the field at a normal pace, not embarrassed at being shunned and not caring that she had Edward in her face like that. Everyone watched her go, the team, the headmaster and the woman, and even Alice and Jasper and they continued to watch as she sat down beside Esme, crossing her legs while putting her elbow on her knee and her head in her hand. She cocked her head and smiled.

I glanced back and saw Edward waving his hand at his team mates, telling them to come in for a break.

"Excuse my son." Esme was saying behind me. "He's very adament about baseball. But he's a very pleasent gentleman once you get to know him. I was not aware of your skills on the field," she continued to the girl. "Should we, perhaps, let you be the first girl in our school history to be on the boys' baseball team?"

The new girl shook her head. "No, I just like teasing the boys. The brownish-red headed one, your son, what did you say his name was again?"

"Edward."

"Edward. Very old timey. I like it."

I turned my attention back to Edward, who was telling his group of huddled team mates, "- So we're calling it in early." And without another word walked away towards the fence. His team was watching him go and looking at each other and their watches. Edward had called practice hardly an hour into it.

He realized too late, it appeared by the way he stopped walking, that the new girl was sitting right where he was walking by.

Without leaving her seat, she held out her hand. "I'm Tanya Denali. Pleased to meet you."

I heard Alice's small gasp, but Edward looked neutral. He looked at her hand, took it, shook it once, and continued on walking. Glancing at Esme, it was clear she had been hoping for a different response. I expected Tanya to be upset and have the same disappointed look on her face that Esme did, but instead she was still smiling while watching his back leave.

I looked from her to him and back again, trying to decide what I felt at this whole scene. When Alice and Jasper quickled brisked by me, I followed, jogging to keep up with them.

"What's going on?" I asked as I caught up, almost tripping into the mud.

"I think Esme just tried to introduce Tanya and Edward, if you catch my drift," Alice answered,  
"and Edward's not pleased with it."

"Why not?" I'm not sure what made me ask. A part of my brain was telling me I should be happy with the refusal of the introduction, but another part argued that I should not stake claim on something that wasn't mine.

"Let's just say Edward and Esme don't have the best mother and son relationship. Anything that Esme has tried to do to make it better, Edward has shot down. And before you ask, it's not my place to tell you why. If Edward wants to tell you, he will."

"I wasn't going to ask." Because I already knew.

"What makes this worse is she just tried to set him up with a girl from a very powerful and rich family. Ever heard of the Denali hospital chains? They're known around the world. The family makes billions every year. Their father had died in a car crash before the youngest, Tanya, had turned three. The hospital they had taken him to had done everything they could but they couldn't save him, but her mother had said they could, they just weren't prepared. So, their mother had enough money to buy out an old, run down hospital, saying she was going to turn it into the best the state had seen and did. And with some more investments in hospitals and then building their own, some good management of money and hiring skills throughout the years, the entire Denali family has lived far more than comfortably. From what I hear, their mother died recently and the oldest, Irina, the girl sitting beside Esme, has taken over." Alice finally paused for breath before she said shortly, "Whatever they're doing in Forks, Washington, I don't know."

"Maybe she's here for school." Jasper interjected.

Alice shook her head. "But why? I'm not in any way saying anything negative about this school or Esme, but Tanya could go to any school she chose to in the nation. Why Masen University in the middle of Washington when she could go to schools in New York or Florida or something?"

Edward was walking too fast for us to catch up and before we could speed up, he was inside the building.

"He's going to shower and change." Alice said, slowing her pace. "He'll find us later. Come on, Jazz, we should get going. We're all going to movies, Bella. Do you want to come?"

Before I could answer, there was a loud shout. "Isabella!"

I wanted to vanish before he could blink. Peter was stomping towards me, stumbling with every other step in the ankle deep mud. I swallowed and tried to think of something to say.

"I thought you were helping your mother in the library? And instead I find you here, messing around?" He shouted. I inched away from him the best I could. God, please let Alice and Jasper have left. But of course not. Alice was staring shocked from me to Peter and Jasper was staring at Peter with an intensity that bordered mind control.

"You just wait. Not only are you not going to with this ridiculous Alice, but you are to stay in your room for the next two weeks! The only time you can come out is for work!"

"Excuse me, but I think I have an explanation."

"And what, you rich brat, could you possibly tell me that wasn't a lie?" I cringed at his voice and words towards Alice. But peeking at her, her face was very calm and polite and I wasn't sure she understood what was happening.

"My name is Alice," She said, like he hadn't just insulted her. "Bella was just taking us back to the cafeteria. I was saying how thirsty I was and Bella was coming from the library and told us that the cafeteria was still open. We were just following her back."

The lie was so natural I almost believed it. I turned shocked eyes to her, but I felt a sharp pinch in my waist before her hand flew back to her side without detection.

Peter looked from me to her and back to me as I tried to look innocent.

Finally, he said, "Then get to the cafeteria now and then you can start cleaning the windows." He walked back with us and I shot Alice an 'I'm sorry' look. She raised her perfectly arched eyebrows at me as her answer.

When we got back, I immediately shot them towards the soda machines. Out of earshot, I continued to apologize profusely. "I'm so sorry about him. And thank you for bailing me out of that."

Alice slid her quarters in and silently took the water bottle that clattered. "It wasn't a problem. But, um, may I ask about him? What's crawled up his rear and died?"

"Ssh!" I shushed, looking to make sure he wasn't in ear shot. He wasn't, but he was eyeing us suspiciously. I pointed out the windows, "If you hang a left at the first stop light, and keep going, the theater is on your left." I lowered my voice. "He's watching. No, he's always like this and I'm sorry he acted so terribly to you." Alice took another sip of her water and looked out the window.

"Well, thank you for the drink, Bella. I'll see you later." She smiled and left, Jasper nodding towards me before he took her hand and they left together.

As I watched them go, I saw Alice lean in to murmur something to Jasper and I knew what their subject was without having to hear.

"Who was that?"

I jumped. Peter was leaning against the table, a bucket of water, a towel, and window cleaner beside him. "Just Alice."

"Who was the boy?"

"Her boyfriend."

"Is this the Alice you were going to go with this weekend?"

"Yes - wait, 'were?'"

"Yes, 'were.' As in, you had planned to go but you're not going to now."

"Why not? What did I do?"

"You obviously lied to me."

"When?"

"Just now. I don't give privledges to liars, much less let them live in my house, but you're lucky for now."

"I didn't lie to you! You have no proof!"

"I don't need proof."

"What did I do?" I asked, exasperated. "Why don't you want me to go hang out with people my own age?"

"It has nothing to do with that. You just don't deserve it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but I closed it with a snap. He grinned, knowing he had won again, and pushed the bucket towards me with his foot.

"Get started on the windows."

I was going to do something I had never done before. and it made me nervous to think about it.

"Peter, can we at least talk about this?"

"We have nothing to discuss, Isabella."

"But, Peter, I didn't do anything wrong."

"I've already said no and that's my final word. You can't get your way all the time, no matter what your mother has told you or how you were raised. I told myself from day one I was going to knock that selfish brat out of you and I obviously need to step it up. No, and that's final."

"But I would really appreciate it if you let me go." I continued to plead, wincing at the shot at my parents. "Please. I'll do whatever you want me to do. I'll work the cafeteria myself, or go with Sue. I'll take your chores here and at the school. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do, just please, let me go this weekend with Alice."

He continued to stare at me, unblinkingly, after I finished begging; his eyes were calculating. I knew he was considering it. Whatever I had said caught his attention and he was thinking about it, which could have meant that I was going to be allowed to go.

"Please, Peter." I tried one more time, quietly.

Something in his eyes changed and he shifted in his seat. After a second's pause, he said, "Fine. You can go. But I expect you to be at work on time for the rest of this week, you are to stay in the cafeteria the entire time. And later I'll think of something for you to repay me with."

I couldn't believe it. This was the first thing he had actually done for me and I was grateful. I got up from the couch, thinking I could leave and go to my room without causing more problems, but he said, "Excuse me. Aren't you forgetting something?"

He had his cheek turned towards me and I remembered that anytime he did something for Sue, she kissed his cheek. I had never had a reason to, but I still didn't expect him to want me to do the same thing.

But I did because I didn't want him to take away his promise. He hadn't shaved in a while and he smelled like grill smoke, but I kiss his cheek and said again, "Thank you, Peter."

Sue was leaning in the hall way, a smile on her sweet face.

"I hope you have fun this weekend, Bella." She said quietly.

"Thank you." I said. "I'll be working with Peter the whole rest of the week."

"That's fine. But some time I'm going to have to get you back into the library. Since you've left, my students have come around less and less. I need your pretty face."

I suddenly found the wall interesting. "It's just a slow time. You don't need me to bring them in."

She rolled her eyes and pat my cheek. "Get some sleep, Bells, and I'll see you tomorrow."

I hugged her and smelled her faint perfume and the heat of skin. "I love you, Sue."

"I know, Bella. I love you too." She pulled a strand of my hair, and she said, "And I like your hair like this too." She wrapped it around her finger and smiled, looking me straight in the eyes as she whispered very softly, "You look like your father. But you're so beautiful, Bella. Don't ever think you're not." She tucked the strand of hair behind my ear. "Go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."

I told her goodnight and closed my door, locking it completely before getting undressed. But then I caught sight of myself in the mirror and stopped. I dropped my shirt and sat down at the small stool that sat in front of me.

Was I beautiful? My skin was pale from the lack of sun and my legs were shaped slightly, but there was tiny roll of extra skin around my waist that was stubborn. My face wasn't what was put in magazines, but I didn't think it was horrendous. My eyebrows could probably use some work, but my eyes were possibly the best feature about my face if I was going to be truthful. That wasn't to say they were the most lovely eyes ever seen; they were a boring, bland brown, but they were my dad's. They looked better in his face, but he had given me a copy of his to remember him by when I looked in the mirror.

I took the band out of my hair and let it frame my face. Perhaps I was kind of pretty like this. I would never have thought so just glancing, but if I actually looked, I could pull of being pretty in an old fashioned sense.

What was I thinking?

I stood up and quickly dressed for bed. There wasn't a point in thinking about this. I didn't have time to care about my appearance. I only had time to work and get paid and pray to leave this god awful place.

But, another part of me whispered in the depths of my mind, you don't want to be just about that, do you?


	13. Official

Before we begin, a huge thank you to all my reviewers, for whom I would have no motivation to even start the next chapter. All of you are great and supportive and I appreciate it. A thank you to all who joined and left me reviews, watches, or alerts. I can tell you all, I've been skipping like a fool the past couple of days because of them.

And a GINORMOUS thank you to Jeanne, because... well, she knows. I hope this chapter is up to your standards.

WARNING: I have to tell you all now, this story may end up being rated M. NOT NOW BUT LATER. I will have you all know that I don't write vulgar, gross, or disgusting anything. I think it's OOC and ew. But the material may in a few chapters slide into the M section, so I have to know now if any of my readers are not mature enough to read what may occur or are alright with it so I can decide to keep it T or go on and make it M. Know that if it does turn to M, I will never, ever write anything out of line, but content and rules and blah, blah, blah.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Good morning, welcome to Webb- Edward?"

"Good morning, Bella."

I gaped like an idiot fish, the pencil behind my ear falling with a few soft clicks on the floor before I regained my senses. "What are you doing here this early?"

"I wanted to apologize... again. I seem to be doing this a lot lately." He smiled sheepishly, looking like the pure incarnation of repentence. "I haven't gotten the hang of controling myself when my mother pulls one of her stunts."

"Oh, you mean the baseball practice. I wasn't upset over that. I mean, I understand."

"But that still doesn't give me the initiative to completely ignore you after you snuck out to come see our practice."

"How did you -?"

"Alice told me." He smiled. "I appreciate you cutting work to see me. And I was driving by here and remembered that you said you worked here so I decided to pull in and have breakfast."

I couldn't help but smile. "Then let me show you to your seat and I'll get you a menu." I showed him to a seat by the window and told him I'd be right back. I swept into the kitchen, smiling like an fool again, enough for Eric to notice.

"What's got you all happy and fuzzy?" He inquired, drying his hands.

"Nothing much." I answered, straightening my apron and grabbing the extra menus. "Just a new customer is all."

"I'm going to guess a boy? And it wouldn't happen to be the one from that University, would it?"

"How did you know?"

He pointed. "I saw it throught the window there. I would have thought you'd given up on him."

I was trying to flatten the fly aways off my face."Why?"

"Weren't you being harrassed by the rich kids at the school because of him? And didn't he use you?"

I shook my head. "It was a misunderstanding, that's all. We talked about it and realized that we both had been wrong so it's all fine now."

Eric nodded slowly, pressing the spatula into a meat patty so it sizzled. "But he's, like, really rich, isn't he?"

"I guess so. His mom's the headmaster of the college so I guess you could say they live comfortably."

Eric nodded slowly again. "So, you don't think he's using you?"

"No." I answered immediately, folding the menus in the pocket of my apron.

"And you're not afraid that he's looking down on you?"

I stopped what I was doing and stared at Eric who was doing his best to keep his eyes on the fat that was leaking out of the meat. "Why would you say that? No, I don't think that's what he's doing. We're friends." That kiss, my brain added.

"I'm just saying. Nothing against you, Bella, but we're not exactly high class. You live out, away from town, and he lives in the city with his big house and fine frills. You work two jobs to get by and can't even afford to go to school while he gets whatever he wants whenever he wants and could quit school and still get whatever job he wanted, or just live off his money for the rest of his life. I mean, it's not like the 'mightier than thou' normally mix with people like us for no reason. I just don't want you to get hurt again."

My brain chewed over his words. Despite what he said might be true, I didn't think it counted with us. I mean, he hadn't given me actual reason to think he saw me that way and I told him so.

Eric shrugged. "I just wanted to throw my two cents in. Just, you know, be careful with stuff like this. I'd hate to go to jail because I killed the son of a bitch who hurt you again."

I was taken aback by that. Eric and I had been friends, but I had always thought the type of friends who only said 'hi' to each other in the halls and went on. I hadn't been aware that he felt that way towards me and I was touched.

"You don't have to worry about that." I said gently. "Nothing bad is going to happen to me if I stay friends with Edward."

"I hope so. Just be careful of any girls he's taken out, I hear they're nightmarishly attached to him."

"Noted." I said as I went out the door. I came back to see Edward talking to Mr. Webber with a charming smile and a soft laugh. Mr. Webber was smiling too and nodding, agreeing with whatever Edward was saying with enthusiasm. When Edward's eyes caught me, he smiled wider; Mr. Webber followed his direction and waved me over.

"Bella! You need to keep me informed of your social life! I'd hate to think that I was keeping you from a normal teenage social life."

"What? No, Mr. Webber, I don't have a social life. And I enjoy working for you so it doesn't bother me really." Where had this come from? I looked to Edward and was met with a look of a raised eye brow and a question.

"Well, I do think I've been working you too hard. You come in so early and are always working so hard: I think I could give you some hours off with still a full pay check."

I felt stunned. What in the world was going on?

"No, Mr. Webber. You don't have to do that. I enjoy working and it's not fair to pay me fully if I'm not working it."

"Bella, one of the reasons I have so many customers is because you are a very polite and socialable person. You don't ask for anything around here and now that I think about it, you do deserve more than you get. So, I think from now on you can leave two hours earlier and I'll still pay you what you're making now."

Where was this coming from? "I insist, Sir, you don't have to do that. I can keep working and earn the money. I enjoy working here and it's not a bother. I don't have much else to do with the time."

"Sorry, Bella, you can't talk me out of it. You'll finish this week and starting Monday you'll be on the new schedule. Don't worry about anything. It was good talking to you, Edward." He continued, ignoring my sputtering and open mouth to speak to Edward. "I suppose I'll be talking to you later." He clapped Edward on the shoulder and walked away. As soon as he was out of sight, I turned to Edward who had plucked a menu out of my pocket and was scanning it at his leisure.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. I was speaking to him about school and how you made it more enjoyable and then he offered you the new hours. Very considerate of him." He hadn't looked at me once while talking. "What do you recommend?"

"Um, the breakfast meal is good. Edward, seriously, what just happened?"

"Then I'll have that." He folded the menu and set it aside, looking at me with an innocent expression.

Biting the inside of my cheek so I wouldn't retort, I wrote out his choice and left without a word. Something wasn't sitting right with me and I couldn't put my finger on it but Edward had something to do with the hours, that I was sure of.

I seated three other people and took their orders and waved to Angela as she came in to start her shift. She just about knocked over a table because she wasn't looking where she was going once she caught sight of Edward. As she apologized and righted the table, she shot me a pointed look with her eye brows raised. I mouthed, 'I'll tell you later' and turned my back on her quickly.

"Order up! Table three!"

I grabbed the plate as I passed and made an immediate turn right into the table behind me.

It's not a secret I'm clumsy. It's happened too often before that it doesn't bother people much anymore. But the fact that I actually went over the table and to the floor... that was beyond embarrassing. I don't even think there's a word for it.

I laid on my side, stunned to how I got there, when my head, pounding like a hammer, brought me back.

"Ow," I moaned, touching my forehead cautiously. At the touch of my fingers, it became clear that my entire body was aching, my shoulder worse than anything besides my head.

"Are you okay?" Someone was asking me.

For a second, I couldn't remember how to speak.

"I think she's in shock!"

"Is there a doctor in here?"

"Bella! What happened?"

"She went over the table!"

"Calm down everyone," a melodic voice was saying above the growing noise. "Getting upset isn't going to help the situation."

"She's just laying there!"

"Calm down. I'm a doctor, let me through." Hands were touching me, grasping me by the shoulders and cautisouly lifting me to rest against something. "Bella?" The voice was calling gently. "Bella, can you hear me?"

I made an odd sound in the back of my throat.

"Can you understand me?"

I nodded, but it sent my world spinning and I groaned, trying to cover my eyes.

"I think she's going to be fine, but she needs something for her head and rest." Hands were pulling me up and I had to close my eyes, digging my fingers into the arms to keep from falling; my legs were having a slow reaction. "She'll be fine," I heard and realized suddenly that it was Edward. "I'll take care of her."

I knew I was being surrounded by everyone in the restaurant without having to open my eyes and I was humiliated. Why couldn't I have passed out and been happily oblivious?

I hobbled with the help of Edward out to his car and he carefully assisted me into his car where I proceeded to lean my head against the cool leather and just breathe. He got into the driver's seat and slammed his door, making me wince.

"Sorry," he apologised, his car purring to life. "What's your name?"

I was confused. "Bella?"

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen?"

"Who am I?"

It hit me then that he was checking my memory for fault because of the fall. "Edward."

"And what are we to each other?"

There was a long pause where I contemplated what he was actually saying.

"You tell me." I answered finally.

"Bella, I need you to open your eyes and stay awake. I don't want you to sleep in case you have a concussion."

"It wouldn't be the first time," I muttered, prying my eyes open.

"How many concussions have you had?"

"I've lost count." I sighed.

We drove on for a while, Edward keeping up the conversation so I wouldn't try to close my eyes I guessed, but it was almost forced, like he was either running out of things to say or making himself talk. My head was still pounding to the point that any noise hurt, but, strangely, even through the forced chatter, his voice was keeping the worst pain at bay.

I wasn't keeping track of where we were going, but when we passed the small shopping mart, I said, "This isn't the way to the hospital." I furrowed my eye brows. "Or to the school. Where are we going?"

"We're going to my house."

"Why?"

"Because it's quiet there and you don't need to go to the hospital."

He wouldn't embelish further, so I kept quiet, but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel my stomach flip. Going to Edward's house... another boy's house that wasn't Jake and having no idea what was going to happen between us. I was nervous and excited at the thought, but thinking on it more hurt my head.

I was prepared for him to live in the suburban part of the city. But before we pulled into the more crowded section of town, he pulled off onto a road I hadn't even seen; a path into the forest. The speedometer inched higher as we went down this road and I had to look away from the windows because the sight of the blurred trees made me nauseous.

He finally turned left where a huge white house loomed. My mouth may have dropped at how huge and beautiful it was with the stairs leading to the porch and the columns that stabalized the upper part of the house, and the really green, really spacious lawn.

He parked in the empty drive way and it occured to me that we may be in his house by ourselves.

He was out of his side and as I was unbuckling my seat belt, he was opening my door.

"Careful," he warned while I slid out. I shot him a look. I'd had enough of these head injuries to know what to expect, I didn't need him treating me like glass.

Right after I thought that, I had to swallow those thoughts because I tripped over my own feet. Edward caught me before I landed face first on the concrete, but I didn't miss the exasperated sigh that left his mouth.

He kept his arm around me as he led me up the stairs to his front door. When he pushed the door open, I felt my mouth drop a second time.

The entire inside was spacious and gorgeous. The carpet was a lush white and spotless, the wood furniture was dark, almost black, with white chairs and a white couch placed expertly around the room to make it appear larger. I could already see the dark wood spiral stair case with a matching, smooth banister that led upstairs and I had to wonder what was up there.

Edward was already inside and going around like it didn't matter that I was blanching at the expense of just where I was standing. He looked over his shoulder and smiled easily. "Don't worry about messing anything up. It's sturdier than it looks and it can all be replaced."

I followed him into the kitchen (which was also beautifully done with granite counters and a huge fish tank full of exotic fish swimming along an entire wall) and watched him pour a glass of water which he handed to me. "Drink that, slowly, while I look for some aspirin. I'll be right back."

He disappeared around the corner, leaving me to awkwardly look at the marble counters.

I think we were alone in the house because as his foot steps faded away, there was no other sound. Of course, there could have been someone else on another layer of the house, but I really doubted it.

I had nothing else to do as I stood there, shifting my weight and running my finger around the circle rim of the glass. Curiostiy got the better of me, so I followed it out to the living room where there were some old paintings hanging. The colors were vibrant and beautiful, despite it being sad or happy. But what held my attention were the pictures lining the shelves.

On closer inspection, they were home photos. And all of them were of a young, almost red haired boy with green eyes that were happy. I followed them down the line; like a time line they followed Edward from a baby where he smiled until about the age of ten. And then suddenly, the smiling, happy, care free child who was swinging in the park with a woman who was obviously his mom or skating like the wind disappeared and a young boy turning into a man took his place with a wall built for eyes and a constant frown.

Nonetheless, they were all beautiful pictures, taken from home or professionally. But I noticed that the home pictures stopped after he was about ten and proffessional pictures showed up without his mother. I searched for pictures of his father, but there weren't any of those either.

"I think pictures are ridiculous," I heard from close behind me. If I hadn't of finished the water, it may have slopped all over said pictures.

Edward was barely smiling and I think he was trying to avoid looking at the pictures. "Here," he said, handing me two small pills. "These should help with your head and the rest of your body."

I was about to toss them in my mouth, but then I stopped. "These aren't going to make me tired, are they? I mean, I need to be at work at the University in a while."

He shook his head. "No, they won't make you tired."

Without much more hesitation, I popped them in and dry swallowed them, wincing as they went down.

"Would you like more water?"

I tried to swallow again. "Please."

I followed Edward back into the kitchen and took the glass from him when it was full again. I drank half of it and set it down, sighing through my nose.

Edward's hand suddenly came out to push back my hair softly away from my face, his fingers gently touching the side of my head.

"You may have a nasty bump on your head later. Maybe we can get the swelling down." He touched my head again. I swallowed as the near contact of us in the big house alone. "Follow me." Without asking he took my hand and led me upstairs and down a hall. I wished for a second I had a few more eyes; I had never seen such finery in all my life and never something so grand as this house. I wondered where it all had come from and who had designed where it all went. I mean, Esme had to have had too much time on her hands to deal with it, but I could see her choice in everything I passed.

Edward pushed open a door and led me in where I had to stop myself from freezing to the spot. It was obvious we were in his room. It smelled like him and clearly showed he lived here. It was neat and tidy, with a huge bookshelf in the corner filled so much that stacks of books had to be place on the sides and shelves lined the wall with CDs. Instead of a tv, he had a sophisticated and too complicated for me to understand sound system that took a good part of one wall. His room was large enough to fit all of that and an iron wrought bed and a black leather couch and still it wasn't at all crowded. There were two doors, one that was completely closed and one that was cracked open. The closed one had to be the closet because the cracked door had a light flooding through it and I could see a counter and mirror. He had his own bathroom in his room?

But what stunned me wasn't the expensive technology or beautiful furniture. I was in another boy's room that wasn't Jacob, the only boy I had actually spent any time with outside of what school I had and work. I was in another boy's room, his personal, intimate space, and my mind told me I wasn't supposed to be there. I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near somewhere like this, it had been pounded into my brain for years and though I had always hidden my thoughts of how ridiculous it was, now that I was here, I couldn't help but remember the warnings with a sudden clarity and took a step back.

Edward stopped at my tug and turned to me. "Are you okay?"

Something must have shown on my face because he looked from me to his room and then to his bed and he let go of my hand. "No, Bella. I didn't bring you here for that. My bathroom is the only one is the house equipped with medical purposes. I apologize, I didn't think at all. If you want you can wait outside in the hall."

He thought I thought... I felt a hot flash of blood boil under the skin of my cheeks. "I didn't think you were - I'm sorry, I just was thinking - I didn't think you had brought me here for that." But now that he had mentioned it, my face brightened more. "I'm just not... used to being in other... peoples' personal space like this. But I'm not - I'm fine with this." I sounded like an idiot, why couldn't I shut up? Surely, he thought the fall had damaged my brain, or maybe he thought I was always this strange.

He rose his eyebrows to ask me silently if I was okay.

"I'm fine, I promise. I'll just sit here," and try not to speak again.

He nodded and left for the bathroom, pushing open the cracked door wide open. I took a seat on the edge of his couch, trying to ignore how absolutely good it felt to sit on something so soft as I tried to watch him rummaging. He was crouched down trying to reach for something in the back of the cabinet under the sink and then he stood and disappeared, coming back with a wash cloth in his hand. I could hear the faucet running and the sound made me nervous for reasons I couldn't comprehend. I think it had a lot to do with how... foribidden this was supposed to be.

Edward had been nothing but a gentleman to me and he had made it clear his intentions were not for what I had been told, but I was still nervous enough to bite the skin around my middle finger nail. If it was found out that I was here, I was in for it. I was going to be in such trouble if I didn't get to the University on time or if someone from the restaurant saw either Sue or Peter. Or how was I going to get back to the school? Edward was surely going to take me and people were bound to see. If I wasn't so damn clumsy -

"Are you alright?"

Edward was back in with the wash cloth draped around his fingers and more pills in his hand. I eyed them warily.

"These are for me," he said, noticing my gaze. "They're supposed to help with my 'mood swings.'" He said it as if he didn't believe a word of it, but was forced to take them anyway. He offered me the water warm piece of cloth. "Put this against where you fell."

"Isn't it supposed to be cold water?" I asked, taking it anyway and folding it.

"No, warm water works better. Who's the doctor here?"

"I believe you are a doctor in training. Whatever you told those people was a load of crock" I came back mockingly stiff.

He laughed and the tightness in my chest lightened. "If I hadn't of said that, they wouldn't have let me near you."

He took a seat beside me and threw back the pills, keeping his neck arched as he swallowed. I couldn't help but notice the graceful arch his neck made and how strangely erotic it was to watch his throat move as he swallowed. I was so embarrassed to think that that I looked away. We sat there in silence that I wished hadn't been there because my mind kept going back to how I wasn't supposed to be in his house at all, not at all in his room and certainly not alone with each other.

"What are you so worried about?" My neck swiveled of its own accord to face him and I couldn't respond for a second. "You don't trust me." It was said, not asked. I winced because it wasn't true.

"No, I do. I'm... not used to being around people my own age. Especially boys. And I don't know how to talk when I'm under stress."

His mouth quirked up, his right hand balling around his left. "I've noticed that." My inner self was banging her head on a wall. "But I think it's cute. I'm used to having girls always talking and always knowing what to say, like the practice it in front of the mirror. It's nice to have a girl who isn't trying to impress me all the time."

If only you knew, I thought dryly. "Why do you have to take pills?" I asked to get the attention off me.

His hands tightened around each other. "Because the psychiatrists have said I have irrational mood swings that need to be controlled." He said it all very neutrally, but I heard the underlying sneer. "They think it's the cause of what happened years ago. Apparently, I'm a tramautic child who needs the supervision of adults all the time."

I searched his face for more answers, but he was hiding them behind his skin, using it like a wall. "If it makes any difference to you, I don't think that."

He looked me in the eyes and smiled, but it was all ironic. "You don't know much about me. What makes you think you know different?"

"Because I just do. I don't think there's anything wrong with you. I just think that you have a wall put up between you and other people. I think you've been hurt before and you don't want to get hurt again."

With a light tone and a closed face, he inquired, "And you see all of this how?"

"Because I've done it too."

The silence between us was suddenly thick as we stared at each other. The green of his eyes was penetrating, looking straight into me and letting nothing of himself out. It was unnerving for him to stare straight at me, his eyes never moved like mine did. His stare was like a serpent's, unwavering and hypnotic, and gathering all the information he needed before he striked.

When I let the cloth fall from my forehead because it was cool, his gaze finally moved and he closed his eyes.

"You don't know anything about me," he said quietly, softly.

"Then tell me anything." I answered just as softly.

There was another pause that I didn't press. If he wanted to tell me, he would. I would be patient and not rush because I knew what it was like to be pressed for information that I didn't want to give.

"Quid pro quo." He said, looking at me through his messy hair. "I tell you something, you tell me something."

I reigned back the fear of my memories and nodded.

"My father died when I was ten. Committed suicide." He finally answered, staring fixedly at the floor. "Just one day took a bunch of pills and never got up again. At first I had thought it was all my fault, maybe I wasn't a good enough son. Maybe if I had cleaned my room enough. Maybe if I had said I loved him more." He fixed me with dry eyes. "Your turn."

"What to you want to know?" I whispered hoarsly.

"Whatever you feel like telling me."

I searched my brain for something to tell him, something that wouldn't hurt me but enough to repay him for his piece of information. But nothing could compare to that that wasn't an old wound. "My dad was a policeman," I started. "Chief of police, in fact. He was good at his job and a good father. Every day he would come home and we would sit in front of the tv while mom cooked some strange recipe she had found on the internet. And then she died and he married Sue and we were still a family. And then one day he was gone too." Once the words came out, I couldn't stop them. I had held them in for so long that they were like a never ending river. "Attacked on the job. Some kid was being attacked and from what the surviving kid said, Dad had heard their screaming and came to help. The kid was being mauled by a bear because he had accidenly found its den. And Dad took out his gun and shot it, trying to scare it away. But he just made it angry and it came after him. He yelled for the kid to run and he did and that was the last thing my dad ever did."

Edward eyes were looking straight at me, not through me, or into me, but at me, seeing me and listening to me. And it's what I needed.

"Your dad was a brave man, Bella." Edward said. "And he'd be proud of you."

"I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear all of that. I went on far longer than I should have, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Bella. You have nothing to be sorry for."

How did this happen? I smash my head humiliatingly into the floor and I end up in Edward's huge house and in his room, spilling my sob story that I had never told anyone.

"My dad taught me to skate." Edward continued. "When I was eight he put a brand new pair of skates on my feet and held my hands as he guided me across the floor of his music room. And then one day he let go without any warning and I fell, blooding up my knees and palms. He didn't help me back up and I couldn't get back up by myself." He paused, his fingers flexing and unflexing into tight fists. "There are days where I can't stop thinking about that, about how he just let of me without caring if I fell or not."

I knew what he was thinking. That time was just like his suicide. He just let go of Edward and he fell to the floor, he committed suicide and left Edward to fall and have no one to help him back up. But I didn't think that was the point.

"I don't think that's it," I said gently. "He didn't let you fall because he felt like it. He let you go so you could find the strength and stability to get up yourself."

He ridgedly turned to me. "Well then, he didn't do a good job of teaching me."

"My mom taught me to play the piano so we'd have something in common." I replied. "We were complete opposites. I took more after my dad. I was quiet and acedemic and she was outgoing and popular. She was smart, don't get me wrong, but she liked having friends more than books. So, we learned together and were terrible together." I stopped talking to remember. "I sometimes hate myself because I've forgotten most of what we learned."

"I begged my dad to teach me piano. I wanted to be like him when I was younger, like any boy does. He'd sit me in his lap and teach me and he'd have me go up and down the scales, learning the keys like they were supposed to be my friends. I was his protege, but I didn't care that I had a talent, I just wanted to play and to make music." An actual smile crawled across his face. "I haven't touched the piano until I met you."

I reached out and touched his hand, folding my fingers into the space between his thumb and forefinger. "You have a gift." I assured him.

He looked at my fingers in his hand and traveled the length of my arm until he was staring me in the eyes once again.

"Bella, we have to settle this now. It's driving me crazy: what are we to each other?"

That was a good question. One I asked myself many times, but didn't answer because I didn't want to be wrong. I floundered for words to answer, but it felt like words were so jumbled and mixed that they wouldn't come.

"I was wondering the same thing," I finally said. I debated taking my hand away, but thought against it because his fingers were so warm. "I know what I want it to be, but I don't know if it the same thing as you."

"What do you want?" He continued, looking at me like he needed the right answer, and I was afraid to give him mine.

I looked away, concentrating on his floor, chewing on my bottom lip as I thought. Should I go ahead and tell him? I mean, we've been on two dates, he's kissed me a few times, that has to count for something, right? But then again, I knew from personal experience that plenty of girls liked him and had dated him. But what if he doesn't want that? What if he and I are on two different sides and he just wants to know if we were just friends?

But to look at him... surely someone that desperate looking wasn't expecting a casual answer.

"I want... I want us to be together." I said in one breath so I couldn't change my mind, but I was cowardly enough to look away so I wouldn't see his reaction. I had never confessed something like that before and I had never been rejected before. I didn't want this to be a start.

When I continued to hear nothing but silence, I thought for sure I had been rejected. And why not? I wasn't as pretty as those other girls at the college, I wasn't as smart I was sure, I didn't have an actual talent compared to his, and I was in no way anywhere near his league of money and status. So, should I leave by myself or let us endure a grueling ride back to the school?

"I was afraid you didn't feel the same way." I heard very quietly, his voice a soft whisper of velvet.

I knew it. He just wanted to be friends. Or acquaintences. Now I've gone and embarrassed myself and if I could find the nearest wall to bash my head against, that would be great.

"Bella?"

I couldn't look at him yet because the damn, stupid tears were blinding my vision.

"Bella, look at me."

I closed my eyes and did as he asked, hoping when I opened them the tears would be gone and I could walk away with my feelings only cracked. Slowly, I lifted my eye lids to see his shocked face and then he was close to me before I could react.

"Bella? What's the matter? Did I say something? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No, I just- I mean, it wasn't my place to say that. I'm sorry. I'll take the bus back to school." I went to stand, but his arm blocked my way.

"The next bus stop isn't for a few miles, don't be ridiculous. What do you mean it wasn't your plave? I thought you just said you wanted to be with me."

"I did and I'm sorry. I should have known you didn't like me like that."

"Bella, you're being absurd. I just said that I wanted us to be together too and now you're crying and trying to leave?"

It took a moment for me to register his words and when I did, I fell back onto the couch. "You do?"

"Of course I do." He took his arm away to run his hand over his face. "It's been driving me insane for how much I've debated if you even care about me that way because I sure as hell do, but I couldn't stand thinking that it was just a one sided thing."

"So, does this mean we're together. Like you're my boyfriend?"

His mouth twitched upwards for a second. "And you're my girlfriend."

I kept expecting something to happen, like some revelation or something, but it didn't. All I could do was sit there and stare at him dumbly, wondering how we got to this point and how I ended up with the most gorgeous boy I had ever seen as my boyfriend.

Finally, I sat with my back pressed against the back of the couch, staring at this wall. "This is all so complicated."

"But that's what so intriguing."

"So, we're really together?"

"Yes."

"Wow."

"Why is that such a shock?"

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes against the overworking of my thought process. "Look at me and then look at you."

"I don't understand."

"Nevermind."

He didn't ask again. "Would you like to sleep?"

I thought about it. Tempting but no, not when I had this moment to share so I opened my eyes. "No."

"Would you like something to eat?"

"No." And, of course, my stomach took that moment to rumble obnoxiously loud while I suppressed the urge to cover my face with my hands.

"I'll take that as your answer. Come on, I'll fix you something downstairs." He caught me looking at his mini fridge. "That's for small stuff. I'll find some appropriate downstairs."

I followed him back down the stairs, trying to see and take in all the beautiful room and materials in it, but my eyes always went back to him, watching the way he walked and moved. Without looking at his face, it was easy to believe that he was with me now, despite how abrupt our relationship had turned.

When we entered the kitchen, he went immediately to the cabinets and started rummaging. I just leaned against the counter and watched a blue fish swim, feeling a little out of place.

"You wouldn't happen to like deer meat, would you?"

I blanched towards him, he had moved from the cabinets to the freezer.

"Um, deer meat is good, but I was thinking something along the lines of a snack, not a three course dinner."

He stepped back, looking slightly embarrassed. "Perhaps you could find something."

I shook my head while raising my hands. "I couldn't do that. I'd feel like I was taking over the house, or the kitchen at least.

"You wouldn't be. I'm lost in my own kitchen, so if you would like to find something, please, be my guest."

He had his hand gestured to everything in a very adorable way, so I gave in and began tentively going through the cabinets until I pulled out a box of easy make alfredo noodles.

"Could I use the stove?"

"Of course."

"Care to share?" I questioned, holding the box out towards him.

He took it while I pulled out a thing of cooking oil and filled a cup with milk before setting it on the counter. I won't lie, I was sort of surprised to see that there was food like that in the pantry. It may have been assumptive of me, but I was expecting more exotic or expensive food in the cabinets, like caviar, not quick and easy noodles.

It was clear that Edward didn't cook for himself often as he kept asking what to do and when and how. But I thought it was cute that he was asking and that he was so willing to help.

As I cut and cooked the chicken, Edward watched. I caught his eye and grinned. "What?"

"Nothing. I've just never watched anyone cook so well, I guess."

I laughed. "There's nothing much to it. You follow directions and -" I cursed very inappropriately then and jerked my hand towards my chest, dropping the knife in the process, which launched him across the room and to my side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I hissed from the pain and held up my finger to see it. Red was running down my finger in a river and I sighed. "There's nothing much to cooking, unless you're watching where you're cutting when you handle a knife."

Edward took my hand in his own and studied it. "You may need stitches." He intoned.

"No," I argued, taking my hand back and trying to wipe away the blood running down my palm. "I just need to run it under some water and a bandage and I'll be fine. Trust me, I've had enough of these to know how to handle them. The doctors used to know my name when I was younger I got into so many accidents. It just comes with being clumsy."

He didn't argue back, but he watched me carefully as I washed my finger and then wrapped two band aids around it.

"Get the chicken!" I cried, realized they had been cooking for too long. Edward dived to retrieve them, but turning them over, they were borderline black.

"They're fine." He said, looking at it and then back at me. "It's just an extra seasoning."

When we finally sat down to ate, it wasn't my best job ever. The noodles were too rubbery and the chicken was burnt on one side, but Edward ate it all and stubbornly asked for seconds even after I had told him it wasn't worth it and I was going to throw it out.

We finally left his house to go to the University soon after. I was hoping that after what had just transpired at his house it wouldn't be so strange to sit in his car, but it was. It was like the title we had just given each other was changed everything and I suppose it had.

"What is everyone going to think?" I thought aloud after a few roads of silence.

"To what?'

"Us dating. We had caused quite a commotion a few weeks ago and now everything is suddenly fine and two supposed enemies are dating each other."

"They won't bother us." Edward answered with confidence and an edge of promise. "They know better."

We drove up to the school and Edward parked in his assigned spot in the uncrowded student's section. It had seemed like forever since I had knocked my head, it didn't feel like eleven-thirty at all. As Edward opened my door, I calculated how long it would take me to get to work; From where I stood, it would take me less than five minutes to walk to the cafeteria, but now I didn't know if I should tell Edward goodbye, hug him goodbye, or kiss him goodbye. But he solved it by putting his sun glasses on, settling his arm over my shoulders, and leading us to the cafeteria.

And I realized I liked the feeling.

As we walked, we passed people, which normally is not a big deal, except they all stopped and stared when they saw us coming, looking back and forth between me and him. And I'd call myself a crow before I said that the girls were not glaring daggers at me when they saw Edward's arm draped across my shoulders.

We almost made it around the corner of the cafeteria building when I stopped.

"What's wrong."

I couldn't believe I had forgotten. "You can't walk me in."

"Why not?"

"If Peter saw me with you - I can't believe how stupid I am."

"Why can't you be seen with me?"

"Because if he saw I was this close to you, he'd flip a lid." I decided to tell him everything, since I had been too stupid to bring it up before. "And we're not even going to discuss him knowing the two of us are dating now."

Beneath his sunglasses, I could see his eye brow raise. "Are you telling me that you're afraid your step father is going to find out we're dating now, like two normal people?"

"Yes," I answered quietly.

"That's completely idiotic, Bella. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"You don't understand. When I got in trouble this past weekend, it was because I was hanging out with my best friend since my childhood because he's a boy. And that's all we did. If he knew I was actually dating a boy, having romantic feelings..."

"You have romantic feelings for me?"

I blushed hard across my cheeks. "Shut up."

He kissed my temple and sighed. "Alright. For now, I'll leave this alone. Go to work and I'll see you late, alright?"

"Alright."

I turned my face and kissed him lightly, surprising myself, but he was obviously pleased and went in the opposite direction of me, sticking his hands in his pockets, his face turned towards the clouds like they were the sun.

I ran inside the cafeteria, to the back, where Peter was already setting up the tables. He glanced at me, the lines around his mouth deepened, and then he looked away without questions, without sneers, and I knew I had gotten away with everything I had done prior.

Throughout the day, while cleaning or serving orders or taking orders, I would think about what I had done and go between being scared I was going to be found out and excited. My stomach felt like it was doing flips and my heart would sometimes constrict in a delightful way.

Around one the party of five showed up with the usual crowd of people. They all sat at the same table by the same window, laughing and joking. Emmett was trying to wrestle Jasper into a headlock, but Jasper kept dodging until finally he grabbed Emmett's arm and swung it behind Emmett's back until he cried uncle. Alice watched with her hands pressed together to cover her smile while Rosalie looked like she couldn't decide if she was going to frown or smile. But my eyes found Edward, who's eyes kept sweeping the room, and when he saw me, he smiled beautifully.

Peter glanced over his shoulder and nodded towards me. "Take their order since they don't want to get off their ass."

He watched me as I tried to walk calmly to the table. "Hey," I said, looking at Edward, then realizing that all pairs of eyes were on me. I cleared my throat, "What can I get for you?"

"I just want a water," Rosalie said.

"Gimme a plate of steak and fires and two Sprites, Rosie'll pick of my plate." Rosalie lightly smacked Emmett's arm.

"Salad, please, with ranch dressing on the side, and a diet Coke." Alice chirped.

"I don't need anything." Jasper answered.

"Neither do I." Edward said.

I smiled for them, feeling a thrill at Edward's voice, and left for the kitchen. I piled a tray with what they asked for, adding extra fries to Emmett's plate. As I went to push the door open with my hip, balancing the tray on my other hip, I noticed that Emmett was rubbing his arm and scowling at Edward. As I neared, I heard him say, "Geez, it was just a joke, lighten up."

"Here's you food," I said, handling the tray against the edge of the table, passing it out as I went, wiping my bangs away from my eyes to see better.

"Hey, what happened to your head? You get into a fight with a wall or something?" Emmett was chewing through a bite of steak, waving his fork at my forehead. I felt where he was pointing and gasped when my fingers brushed the hard knot on the side of my head.

"Looks like the wall won." Emmett laughed, taking another huge bite.

"Actually, it was the floor." I countered, forcing my embarrassment down so it wouldn't show.

Emmett almost choked on his steak. "That's even better. A wall you can run into on accident, the floor... That takes the special skill of a klutz."

"Emmett, shut up." Alice said, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "I don't think you have room to talk, seeing as you somehow find a way to run into a fight constantly. You have more bruises than Bella does in a lifetime." She finished daintly.

"I dobut it." Emmett came back before digging furiously into his meal.

"Close your mouth when you chew," Rosalie said, stealing a fry off his plate.

"If that's all, then I'll be getting back to work," I said, taking a step back. "Call if you need anything."

I went back to the kitchen to put the trays in the sink and then wiping down the back counters so we could use them later to pre-make the food for tomorrow before we left.

I just happened to look up in time to see Peter scowling at a boy in the line. I could just smell the blow up that was about to happen.

I ran out there and put a hand on his shoulder, he froze and glanced at my hand. I took it away.

"Why don't I take over the register?" I offered quietly.

He huffed and walked away, muttering loudly.

"What can I do for you?" I asked the boy who was staring daggers at Peter's retreating back.

"Ring me up without trying to cheat me of money."

I felt my eyebrows knit together as I looked at his plate and then the cash register and realized that the price was twice as much as what he had on his plate.

"I'm sorry about this, it appears there's been a mistake. You're total comes to twenty-three fifty."

"Thank you." He grumbled, wrenching his tray off the serving counter and stomping for a seat.

I couldn't believe Peter was trying to steal. It was no doubt in my mind, but why the hell was he doing it?

I spent a good amount of time by the register, and when I finally glanced over to Edward's table, they all were gone and I felt my face drop because Edward hadn't told me 'bye.

"What you got that look on your face for?"

I jumped. "Nothing. I was just thinking about how much I'd have to clean up later."

"Good. Hard work is good for girls like you."

I didn't even argue with him. I still had this day left to overcome before I was allowed to go with Alice (or, well, all of them, but that was beside the point) and after what had happened today, I was not going to mess it up. It was possible Peter would try to come up with something for me to not go. So for the next few hours, I was cleaning everything, serving everyone, fixing everything, and being as nice, polite, and silent as possible.

When the day was finally done and we were allowed to go home, the three of us left together, I walked behind Sue and listened to her chatter about the computer and how it froze on her and one of the students were nice enough to help her. On the bus, she was finishing the another story about how she had found some really old encyclopedias upstairs, and how they were obviously out of date, but it would be such a waste to throw them away.

It was obvious Peter wasn't listening, so I tried to make up for it.

When we got back home, I went straight to work at fixing dinner with as less sound as necessary. The way Peter was looking now, I knew he knew what was coming and I was afraid he was going to find the smallest thing to refuse me to go. I didn't even talk during dinner, keeping my eyes on my own plate, unless Sue asked me something. Every time my eyes even moved upwards, he was looking at me with his nose slightly wrinkled and his eyes pinched.

Finally, when we were done eating and he had finally looked somewhere else, I broached the subject.

"So, I can still go with Alice tomorrow, right?"

I saw Sue's shoulders stiffen, remembering what had happened when she last tried to interfere; I hoped it wouldn't happen again.

Peter was very deliberate as he set down his fork and pushed his plate away, taking a long inahle of breath.

"I don't like it. I don't like it at all. I don't know this girl and I don't like her." His eyes shot to me and I tried my best to blink and look submissive. "Fine, you have my permission to go tomorrow."

I didn't realize I'd been holding my breath. "Thank you, Peter."

"But I'm not taking you anywhere and I'm not bringing you back."

"Alice is coming to get me and she'll bring me back."

"And I'm not giving you money for anything."

"That's fine."

He huffed and pushed himself to his feet. "Then go to bed. And stop locking your doors at night."

"Yes, Bella." Sue finally said. "What if there was an emergency and we couldn't get to you?"

"I forget I'm doing it." I told them. "It's habit. But I won't do it anymore."

That wouldn't be the last time I had lied.


	14. We Can Continue

Hey, guys! I'm sorry this is out so late! I tried to put it out earlier, but it didn't happen. I was busy trying to get a job (which is turning into the job from hell which I have to quit anyway, lol) and CELEBRATING MY BIRTHDAY! Lol, finally eighteen! I really am trying to be better about these chapters, but since I'm running on only a loose plot line and making it up as I go (for serial) and I'm writing it for people now, I have to make sure it all works together. But, I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I threw some stuff in there to make up for the late update. :)

A thank you to KimiD, who sent me wonderful reviews and has taken over as my cheerleader for the new chapters. She's been added to my list of faithful watchers. I seriously appreciate all of you guys. Without you all, I'd be dallying away and only touching this story once ever two blue moons.

It was raining.

I couldn't believe it. It was pouring rain and there was no way in the world we were going to play baseball. I should have expected this from the wettest place on the continental U.S, but it had slipped my mind despite the fact that I've lived in Forks almost all my life. I don't even know how Alice had been able to convince Sue and Peter to let me go.

When she showed up at my door, folding her dripping umbrella on itself, she smiled and asked, ,"Ready to go?"

I just stared at her and said, "Are you kidding me?"

"Not in the least. Why aren't you dressed?"

"It's raining, Alice."

She looked at me like I was missing something. "So?"

"There's no way I can go."

She literally pushed past me and shut the door behind her. "Go get ready and leave the rest to me."

I tried to warn her that nothing she did would get the result she wanted, but she took the flat of her hand and shoved me towards the hall without another word.

My ear was strained to hear what was going on as I pulled on some ratty jeans and an old shirt. I could hear the low murmuring of Sue and Alice's lilting voice, but nothing of Peter, which was could be either a good or bad sign.

Next thing I knew, Alice was knocking on my door and then pushing me out the door with a cheery wave behind her.

Her attractive, bright yellow BMW looked so out of place parked outside my house. I hoped she kept the doors locked.

I waited until we were on the road to finally ask, "How did you do that?"

She didn't ask what I meant as she smiled and answered without taking her eyes off the road, "I'm simply a good talker, Bella." She must have been to get Peter to allow this.

We drove for a little while in silence with the radio on. It didn't shock me at all when Alice started singing softly along and her voice was perfect pitch. I was starting to wonder if there was anything this girl couldn't do.

I put my elbow on the ledge of the window and leaned against it, trying to catch a blur of rain, thinking we were going to play in the rain and hoping I wasn't going to get sick.

Alice wasn't as fast a driver as Edward I noted, and then felt my belly erupt with warmth because thinking of Edward reminded me that he was with me and not anybody else.

"I brought some extra clothes, just in case you didn't want to play in those." Alice said, jerking me out of my filtered thoughts. "But you don't have to use them if you don't want to."

"Thank you, Alice, for all of this." I added.

She took her eyes off the road to smile at me. "You're welcome, Bella." A moment of silence passed. Alice made a right turn and not long after the rain lightened up. "You know, I really do like you." She continued, stating it like there was no way to convince her otherwise.

I was tacken aback by the abruptness of the statement. "Thank you. I like you too."

And then the rain stopped all together. "And I like considering you as my friend."

Were we that? I didn't think we weren't friendly to each other, but I didn't know we had become friends so fast.

"I-I like thinking of you as a friend too."

One side of her mouth came up. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No!"

"Edward's always told me that I'm too forward. He calls it hyper, I call it getting more things done at once. He really does care for you, you know."

I felt the slight blood burn in my neck. "I know."

"We're almost there. Um, a slight warning: Jasper's been known to distract so Emmett can cheat and Rosalie is very competitive and Edward likes to steal bases when no one is looking."

"And what about you?" I asked, grinning.

"Me?" She went on innocently, parking with a sharp turn into a giant clearing that slung mud everywhere. "I don't ever break the rules." She winked and got out, returning a full armed wave to Emmett who was waving both of his ethusiastically. She turned back to me. "Do you want to play in the clothes you have on now or the ones I brought?"

I shrugged. "Mine are good. But thanks for the offer."

"No problem," she smirked, which I thought was odd.

I caught sight of Edward, climbing up the trunk of a tree, scaling it like he was a spider. What in the world was he doing?

"Bella!" I was suddenly grasped in a bear hug that overshadowed Jake's and swung around. "Ready to play a game of ball?" Emmett asked, setting me down. "Careful of the mud when you fall or you'll get a facial."

"Mud's good for the skin." Alice said seriously. "So be nice, Emmett."

"You are such a kill joy, Alice."

I laughed out loud when Edward grabbed a baseball out of the branches of the tree and started to climb down.

Emmett caught my line of vision. "Oh, yeah, Jasper hit a foul ball so hard it landed in a tree and Edward's the only one who can go get it. I'm too big, I'd bring it down," he playfully flexed his muscles. "And Jasper doesn't like heights."

"Are we going to play ball or what?" Rosalie was leaning against an aluminum bat with her hair pulled back in a pony tail. She whipped it around her shoulder in agitation.

Emmett raced back to the make-shift field, high fiving Jasper as he went. Alice raced past me to jump onto Jasper's back. He swung around like he was trying to reach her, which sent her into a fit of shrieking giggles before he finally stopped with his hands holding her arms. She reached over and gave him a complicated kiss right before he pitched forward and sent her over his shoulders and into the ground, but she didn't let go and he went with her.

I stiffled my laugh with my hand, watching Jasper trying to shake the mud from his hair. Alice reached up and began combing it out with her fingers.

"This is normal," I heard in my ear.

I jumped and stumbled into a hard surface, which turned out to be Edward. Grinning, he nodded towards Alice and Jasper and then Emmett who had his arms around Rosalie with his nose in her hair laughing at Alice and Jasper.

"Imagine putting up with that just about every day." He said.

"You must have felt like the odd man out." I said, feeling the hair on my arms stand on end at how close we were.

His arms wrapped themselves around my middle and he pulled me close.

"Not anymore." He whispered.

"Hey! Are we going to play or are you two going to keep PDAing?" Emmett was shouting.

I think Edward may have growled, but I'm not sure. He let me go and took my hand lead me towards the group who were staring at us like we were the most interesting thing in the woods.

"Finally! Let's play!" Emmett took the bat that Rosalie was holding out to him and swung it in a ferocious half circle.

Jasper followed Emmett in line for bat, playfully shoving each other to see who would bat first. Alice took first base, Rosalie took third.

"Is this going to be fair?" I asked Edward, measuring the distance from each base and judging

Emmett strength as he won the bat from Jasper.

"It always is." Edward answered. "Emmett may have the strength, but he's not the fastest runner, and Jasper knows how to mess with your head, but once he's figured out, he's easy enough. It's Alice you want to watch for. Take Emmett's strength, Jasper's mind games, and Rosalie's competiveness, and you get Alice."

"I guess your speed paired with Alice makes a good team then."

"Of course, but we have a special weapon now that evens it all out."

"And that is?"

He grinned at me.

"You're alright with being umpire, right?" He whispered as we walked.

"The safest thing for me to do," I answered. "But I think I'll stand a little ways away from Emmett." Said person was swinging the bat so hard in both directions for a warm up that it was whistling through the air.

Edward laughed, tossing the baseball back and forth between his hands as he took pitcher's mound.

Emmett immediately swung his arms into batter's position, shifting his weight from foot to foot while his eyes watched every move Edward made.

Edward faked a throw once, shifting his own weight into what looked like a pitch, but he turned at the last minute to lightly throw the ball into his mitt.

Emmett, who had taken the bait and swung, swore. Edward grinned.

The next one was a real pitch which Emmett sent sailing into the trees as he went at a full sprint all the way to second base while Alice took off in leaps to catch the ball and throw it with a force I didn't expect at Edward.

He didn't even bother trying to tag Emmett, he was already safe at second and Jasper had taken his vacated space.

I could feel it off Jasper, he had this attitude that oozed arrogance, which shocked me because he had always been so calm and quiet when I had seen him.

Edward didn't even waste time in shooting a ball straight at Jasper, but he didn't swing, he missed it on, what I noticed was, purpose.

I swiped the ball off the ground and looked from Jasper to Edward.

"What's the call?"

"Strike."

"I'm pretty sure that was my first ball, Bella." Jasper argued, with a smile playing on his mouth.

I shook my head. "I've watched enough sports with my dad to know that that was clearly in your line of batting and you missed it on purpose." I shook my head. "Strike."

Something in Jasper's eyes switched; I had a feeling it had something to do with the fact that I had called him on his manuever. I tossed him the ball. "Give this back to Edward."

"Why can't you?" He quirked.

"Because I'll knock you in the head."

Jasper blanched, then grinned, and tossed it back to Edward who was grinning so wide, I could see it from the distance.

Jasper eventully hit the ball, but not near as well as Emmett. Jasper's ball landed near Rosalie who swiftly swiped it, tagged her base to get Emmett out, and hurled it toward Alice. I thought for sure that Alice would tag the base, but she stayed off it and Jasper slowed to a stop.

I watched, confused, as they stared at each other, Alice smirking with the ball in her hand and her foot ready to leap, and Jasper's standing there with his back to me.

"Alice!" Rosalie called. "Tag him!"

"Jasper, if you let her tag you, I swear you'll get it from me!" Emmett called louder as he walked back to home plate, taking the bat that Jasper had thrown.

In one quick movement, Alice leaped for the base and for Jasper, but he launched himself, literally throwing himself at the base and under Alice, he just barely touching it, but he was.

"Safe!" I called.

Emmett whooped and threw a fist in the air.

Rosalie said nothing as she took her original stance back on third, occasionally shuffling her feet toward second.

Emmett took the bat again. Before I could ask, Edward answered, "We're uneven, as you can see. Normally, Jasper and Emmett are on one team, and Rosalie and Alice are on the other while I pitch. But we will occassionally switch if the other team needs another batter."

I nodded as stood back, watching carefully as Emmett hit a sloppy ball straight at Rosalie, who caught it without even blinking.

"Two outs," I called. Rosalie turned a sharp eyebrow on me, making me feel stupid at my outburst.

Eventually, the two teams switched, Alice taking the aluminum bat and hoisting it over her shoulder. It was almost comical, I thought she would topple.

But holy moly if that bat didn't make a deafening crack with that ball sailing over the heads of the boys. She took her time watching it disappear in the trees, her hand shading her eyes as she watched, and she then literally danced her way to first base, then to second, then to third, where she landed with a small jump and her hands on her hips, delighted to observe Emmett catching sight of her almost to home, slowed in his tracks, and just about dismissively throwing the ball to Edward.

I had to take a few steps away from Rosalie when her turn came. Alice had been right, the competiveness was rolling off her in waves so strong, it was obvious that the other four weren't going to mess with her.

Jasper had to dodge her ball because it came towards him with a fury. Emmett raced past him and grabbed it, hurtling it towards Edward.

Alice was already at home, cheering Rosalie as she raced across the bases for a home run.

"Run, Rose, run!" Alice was yelling, jumping up and down. But just as she rounced third and lengthening her stride for home, Edward beat her to home plate, a foot planted there with the ball raised so she would see it with a smirk on his face.

Rosalie quickly backtracked and found Jasper waiting for her on third, watching as he caught the ball Edward tossed towards him.

It was a game of monkey in the middle, though I kept that thought to myself. I watched as Rosalie's thick hair swung as she judged the distance from one plate to the next, testing both of them to see who would flinch towards her if she moved.

"Whatcha gonna do, Rosie?" Emmett was laughing, enjoying the scene as it played out. Rosalie didn't even look at him.

She feigned a step to Jasper and Edward threw the ball to him, but she had already shifted her weight and was hauling herself towards home and I knew she would make it.

"Throw it back!" Edward yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

And Jasper did just that, Edward caught it and, with reflexes known to cats, tagged Rosalie a literal inch before she touched base.

"Out!" Edward cheered.

"You're not the umpire," Rosalie snapped, looking at me with the tips of her fingers touching the edge of the base. "Did I not make it to home?" She asked.

I looked at her hands and then replayed the scene in my head, but the way she was looking at me was making me rethink what I had seen. But I was sure of what I had seen.

I shook my head. "Out."

She got to her feet and dusted herself off, ignoring me and walking behind Alice, ignoring also Emmett who was trying to consult her.

They continued to play for a while; I was getting tired just watching them. But it would have been a lie if I had said I was bored. The game had to be paused at one point because Emmett's foul ball caught Alice in the shoulder pretty hard. Though she continued to say it was alright and claim that she wasn't hurt, I knew for a fact that was going to be an ugly bruise later. And then the ball got stuck again in the tree, followed by a collective groan. Apparently, this happened a lot. Edward had to get it again and while everyone else thought nothing of it, I watched in fascination at how lithe he was. What made it so hysterical, however, was the comments they yelled to each other to either cheer their team on or goad the others. Emmett's were the most blunt and the funniest, but Alice was right behind him as she shrieked for someone to, "Pump those legs!" or "You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"

Finally, it was Emmett who called game, which surprised me. I thought for sure he'd be the one to want to keep going and then I found the reason was because he was starving.

They all laughed and seperately piled into cars without a word to anyone else. Apparently, this was routine, but it left me trailing, confused, behind Alice and Jasper.

When we got to her car she turned around and seemed surprised to see me.

"Aren't you going to go with Edward?" She asked, opening her car door as Jasper was already sliding in.

"Oh," I said. "I thought I was going home."

Her eyebrows met in the middle. "Why? Do you want to go home?"

"Well... no. I just don't want to get in the way."

She rolled her eyes. "You're not getting in the way. We're going back to Edward's to eat and we want you to come. End of story." She got in her car, shut the door, and waved as she quickly spun around and wheeled as fast as she could away from the clearing.

Well... I suppose. I turned to find Edward, trying to fight the feeling that I may have been left in the clearing alone, but he was there by his Volvo, his eyes in my direction. Trying to not look awkward, I walked towards him, saying, "I guess I'm riding with you."

He smiled. "That's what I was hoping for." Ducking into the car, he reached over and opened my door for me, turning the ignition key as I got in.

"Did you enjoy the game?"

I nodded. "I did."

"Good, I was hoping you weren't getting bored." He backed out carefully from the

"I don't think that's possible with Emmett."

He chuckled, turning his torso to see behind him as he reversed out.

I tried to stifle a yawn.

"Are you tired?"

"I don't want to sleep, if that's what you mean. After watching all of you play, I just need a rest."

The car shot out suddenly, spinning so hard around that I thought for a second I was going to fly out of the car. If I hadn't been buckled in, I wasn't sure I wasn't. Edward changed gears and floored it. The car shot forward, flattening me against my seat. "Awake now?"

I tried to reposition myself in the seat, seeing as I was pressed against the door. "Very."

It occured to me that Edward may push the limits on the highway, but when it came to the abandoned roads, he took off like a demon. To keep myself calm, I shut my eyes and pretended I was actually safe.

When the car slowed down and stopped was when I took the chance of peeking and I was happy to see the house in front of us. Edward already was at my door.

"Good sleep?" He grinned.

"I don't sleep in moving vehicles." I said before I could stop myself.

I saw him pause and then open his mouth to ask but I interupted, "Is everyone already here?" I didn't see their cars.

"They park around the back. It's easier to get out that way."

"Oh."

We took two steps towards the door when I felt his hand brush my hand and his fingers slide between mine, catching and holding. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from smiling.

"Finally!" We heard Emmett yell as we entered the house. "Edward, where is the soda?"

"I had to hide it somewhere else." He called back.

"Why?"

"Because you're always guzzling it!" Alice piped up, taking a handful of chips right from the bag and popping one in her mouth.

"Look in the pantry on the bottom shelp behind the bags," Edward yelled. His gestured me to the table, letting go of my hand to pull my chair out.

Alice was sitting in Jasper's lap, her feet swinging as she munched on chips.

"So, Bella," she started, wiping her fingers together, crumbs falling on the table. "How'd you enjoy our game of baseball?"

"It was fun." I didn't know what else to say.

"Not too intense?" Emmett said, bringing out two bottles of soda and another bag of chips. "You didn't," he sighed as he sat down, "break a nail or strain a muscle?"

I laughed. "After working a full day on my feet, that was nothing."

He stopped mid-chew. "Nothing?" He swallowed. "Nothing? Looks like I'm going to need to show you what a real game is."

"Bring it on," I grinned.

Emmett winked and then poured himself half the bottle of soda in, what I guess was, the biggest glass he could find.

"See, this is why I hide it from you." Edward said.

"You don't drink it anyway." Emmett retorted.

Eventually, everyone got tired of chips so Alice ran to order pizza, which shocked me again, though I kept it to myself. I thought for sure that rich people didn't do this kind of stuff or eat this kind of food. I thought with all their money they wanted to buy the higher end of food or go do... things that had to deal with spending more money simply because they could.

I don't think I stopped listening and laughing even after the pizza came. Emmett was hysterical, he could do impressions of anyone that was spot on and so outrageous I almost choked on my soda. Alice liked to smile, I noticed, and was happy to tell a story that went from fashion into politics. Jasper kept quiet, only putting his input in when he had something to say. His words weren't wasted and I enjoyed the slight twinge of a southern accent.

"Where are you from?" I asked him after he had answered one of my questions. As soon as I said it, I felt embarrassed; I didn't know how self concious he was about his deep accent in the far north.

He simply showed me a wide smile. "Texas."

My eyebrows rose. "You came from Texas all the way to Washington?"

"My parents were in the military and moved all over the place. We were permanently moved here a few years ago."

"Was it hard to move so often?"

He waited for a few seconds, considering, before he answered me. "It was at first. I had friends and family that lived closer by, but it got easier with each move."

The only thing Rosalie and I had in common was we dabbed the grease off our pizza before we took the first bite. I don't think she spoke more than three words to anyone.

Edward sat beside me, putting his input in whenever he felt fit, but his hand was a constant on my knee. I was aware of it and tried to make it seem unimportant to everyone else, but on the inside I was alight. I just didn't know if I should put my hand on his knee or over his hand covering my knee, so I kept my hands to myself.

When the pizza was gone (along with the soda) the conversation trickled into nothing but companionable silence. With a full stomach and these new five people around me, I felt like it was possible I had made friends that weren't coworkers.

"Well," Emmett grunted, standing and stretching, "we're going to go. You know, school and all that tomorrow. Rose has a test and I'm beat." Alice stood to hug them both goodbye and Jasper smacked Emmett on the back as he passed, calling goodbye to Rosalie. Edward didn't move from where he sat beside me, just holding out his fist for Emmett to bump and a curt nod to Rosalie.

"'Bye, Bella! See you later!" Emmett yelled from the front hall.

"'Bye, Emmett! 'Bye, Rosalie."

The door slammed and the house was once again silent.

Alice plopped herself back into Jasper's lap and nuzzled into his chest to get comfortable again.

"I'm tired." She yawned, closing her eyes.

"Then go home." Edward said.

"Can't. I have to take Bella home."

"I'll take her home."

"You will not. Her parents are expecting me to bring her home, not you." She shot Edward a look under her lashes that I didn't understand. "Besides, I have something for her."

"You do?" I said.

"Sure. I'll give it to you later."

"You don't have to do that."

"I know. But I want to." She smiled so winningly that I let it drop.

"So, should I take you home now?"

"No," Edward cut in. "I have something to show her." He stood and without even thinking I followed.

"Will she be right back?" Alice called after our backs, though it sounded like she already knew the answer to that.

"Depends," he threw over his shoulder, his arm coming along my waist to move me towards the stairs.

I thought at first we were going up to his room and felt panic erupt in my stomach. What were we going to do up there? Surely, nothing, my reasonable side reasoned. You were up there before and nothing happened, you know Edward's not like that.

Which I had to listen to. I was being silly, of course. But despite my own reasoning, despite what I had felt yesterday, the overgrown butterflies in my stomach fluttered anxiously.

However, we passed his room, continuing down the hall, leaving me stretching my neck to the side to make sure I was right that we had passed his room. What did he want to show me up here?

"I forgot to show you yesterday, but I think now is better timing." He smiled sweetly, pushing open a big dark wood door, opening it to a room I should have known he had. A piano stood in the farthest right corner, polished and gleaming, the white keys vibrant in the dark. Along the walls were other instruments: a few violins, a cello, two guitars, three flutes, a saxophone, and what I'm pretty sure was a trumpet, but I couldn't tell for sure because it was so dark.

When Edward flipped the switch in the room, it was so much brighter with the shining instruments that lined the walls and leaned against each other.

"Are you saying you can play all these?" I asked in a hushed voice.

I felt, more than saw, him shrug. "I can. But I'll admit to you I can play some better than others. See that sax over there? I can't play that thing worth a damn."

I walked along the walls from corner to corner, admiring the beautiful instruments I had longed to play as a child but never really bothered. As said before, if I took after my mom or my dad, there was no talent in my fingers for that.

"A little overachiever, aren't you?" I teased, gently touching the neck of the cello.

"Only when I'm bored."

"Why do you have multiples of the same instrument?"

"My mother likes to play some of them. Or she did." He answered, toneless. "Alice and Jasper can play some of these too, and Emmett likes to try. Rose would rather be outside with her cars than inside."

"Cars?"

"Rose likes to mess with cars. I know, I was slightly surprised when I found out too.

But, what I wanted to show you was this," he took a seat on the piano, flexing his fingers as he searched the keys. He set his fingers over the ivory, stopped, and looked at me, raising an eyebrow, he patted the space beside him. Immediately, I sat and he began.

I recognized it as the song we had played together weeks ago. But it was different, it was complicated and hard and confusing in the beginning, and then it slowly started to make sense. I heard the angry, deep notes transform into high, calming strings of sound and the quick tempo slowed until it stopped altogether, where it hung in the air for a moment that stretched towards forever and he started again, simply plucking the unspoken words from the keys. If I closed my eyes, I could feel the story but not understand it, but that didn't matter.

His eyes had eventually closed, and I watched his face with fascination; he had a slight crinkle in his forehead and the bridge of his nose that deepened as the music breached the first crescendo, and then it was all new to me. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like the music was doing it for me, that my heart understood it but my brain didn't and I had to take a deep, gasping breath to continue on.

His hands came to a sudden stop again and tried to continue on, but it was obvious that now he was playing with what came next. First one way up the keys, then down the other, but it wasn't right and he knew it, I could see it in his face, even if his eyes were still closed.

I touched the hand closest to me with mine, stilling his fingers with mine and gently curling my fingers around his. When I looked into his face, I saw his eyes were already open and on me, and this silence was too much and perfect at the same time.

Whatever nervousness I felt earlier evaporated. He brought his hand up to brush my cheek, his thumb tracing my cheekbone, his fingers sliding to the hair under my ear and sinking in, cradling my neck and bringing me closer to place his lips on mine.

Sparks skittered down my neck and through my arms, following the length of my body and down to my toes. I curled them into the carpet, reaching with my hands for his shirt to find some stability as my head began to spin. What was with this boy? A touch from him and my body was alive, always aware of where he was and what he was doing.

His groan did strange things to my body and his hands drifted lower and scooted me more into him, his body so close I felt the heat. Or maybe it was just me. My hands threaded themselves of their own accord deeply into his hair and I felt something vibrate against me before I realized it was Edward again. I broke away for breath, trying to feel my face again it was so warm. His eyes were heavy and wild and it excited me in a way I had never felt before and suddenly I felt braver. I brought his face back to me this time. I pressed my mouth to his on my own. I opened myself to him, letting him inside without worrying what I was doing or if it was right or wrong; though those thoughts did whisper to me, I ignored them because the pleasure I was feeling was greater than my insecurities.

I tried to shift my body some way or other for better access; I simply couldn't get enough of him it wasn't possible. I was hooked, addicted, and there wasn't a cure.

I shivered as his hand went down my back and under my rear until he had gripped my thighs, causing me to emit a small shriek, and I was in his lap, as close as possible and the edge of my mental cliff was near. A few more steps and I'd be free falling and not knowing where I was going to land.

Edward pulled away, literally panting; my inner self felt smug.

"You have no idea," he panted, pressing his forehead against mine, "what you possibly do to me." He breathed deeply and exhaled, his breath sweet across my face.

I couldn't think of anything to say, so I fingered his collar, not able to look him in the eye.

What had I just done? I couldn't believe I had done all that and felt nothing. What had been drilled into my head? That I shouldn't let things like this happen, that I should feel ashamed if I ever let a boy near me.

But I didn't.

I felt content, happy, with this one person and comfortable. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still nervous at what I was feeling, that I understood it completely. But I, in no way, felt like what I had done was wrong.

Edward sighed again, letting his head fall into the crook of my shoulder, inhaling deeply. "Your hair smells nice."

I laughed. "Does it?"

"Mmh," he hummed, nudging hair away to expose the skin to my neck which he kissed, slow, slightly open mouthed kisses on a pulse point that shot my back ramrod straight. He chuckled.

"I'm going to guess," he whispered softly, "that no one has ever touched you."

I nodded, feeling the goosebumps ripple down my arms. "You'd be right."

Nothing happened for a second and then he kissed my neck again, quickly but sweetly, and pulled away.

"You know I'm never going to ask you for something that you don't want to give, right?" He asked me, making sure to look me in the face seriously.

"Yes," I answered, softly.

His hands pushed my hair away from my face. "I just wanted to be sure you knew that."

I nodded and he let my hair fall back into place. "Do you think Alice is waiting for me?"

He scoffed. "If she has Jasper with her, she's fine, I promise."

I bit my lip. "Then, will you do something for me?"

He waited.

"Would you play the cello for me?"

His mouth turned up. "Of course."

When he had to gently push me to get off his lap to get up, I blushed. I had forgotten where I had been sitting, almost falling backwards in my haste to get up. Edward had the decency to not laugh, or at least turn his back so I didn't see it.

I sat on the floor in front of him while he placed the cello between his knees, one hand expertly placing themselves on the strings and the other getting the bow ready.

The music from the cello was different than the piano. With the piano, he could coax any emotion he wanted at any pitch. With the cello, it was all deep and soothing, calming me, relaxing, and beautiful nontheless.

His face was different too, concetrated and serious, but not completely absorbed. I had to admit though, his face was another work of art from this angle; his eyes lowered to watch what he was doing, his lashes making feathered patterns down his cheek, his cheek bones prominent. I had two masterpieces before me: his cello and him.

When he finished, I couldn't help but clap, which I think may have embarrassed him. I think he might have been blushing, but his back turned to me when he put the cello away.

"You're very talented." I informed him. "I don't think there's much you can't do."

"That's nice for my ego," he teased seriously. "But I have to beg otherwise. I only know what to do in the arts and baseball. Anything other than that and I'm completely hopeless."

I rolled my eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

He chuckled, offering me his hand and not letting go after I was up. We went back downstairs to find Alice cozied up to Jasper on the couch, watching something on the television.

"Done?" She called, not even looking at us as she spoke.

"Yes, Alice, you may take her home now."

"Alrighty then. Jasper, I'll be back in a minute. You have fun with Edward and let's not get into another debate. I hardly survived the last one."

"Debate?" I asked him under my breath, while Alice hopped up looking for her shoes.

Edward exhaled through his nose. "Jasper likes to argue over political or historical matters. He likes to think he's the only one who's right."

"Just as you do." Alice piped up beside me. "Ready to go?"

"Sure." She had her arm around me and steered me to the door before I had even finished the word.

"Alice! Could you let me tell Bella goodbye properly before you man handle her?"

"So sorry, Edward, I thought you two had already done that upstairs." It was said innocently enough, but I still felt the heat across my cheeks at how it could have been taken.

"No, so if you don't mind?"

She shrugged her small shoulders and flitted away to her car, throwing her door open and sliding in.

"She's so small and yet so obnoxious." Edward muttered, as we walked outside to the porch. It was misting slightly with some slight fog around the edges of the yard. What should have been spooky seemed... oddly romantic now. I giggled, but it cut short as Edward put his arms around me from behind. "I enjoyed today with you."

"I did too," I answered shyly.

"Is there a way for us to go out again?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. "I don't know. I'll have to see." He fell quiet and I had to advance the turn in my neck to see him. "You alright?"

He took a minute, but he nodded. "Sure." He cocked his head to Alice who was sitting in her car, fiddling with something. "You think you can survive her?"

"I can manage."

He turned me around and gave me a quick kiss. "I hope to see you in one piece then."

"See you later," I grinned.

He returned my smile and leaned down to kiss me again, properly and a little long.

A horn beeped obnoxiously behind us, causing Edward to break away with a growl.

"Down, boy," I laughed. "I'll see you later." I pecked him again and broke away, jogging to the car. It was a good thing my side was on the side he couldn't see, because I slipped on some misted grass and caught myself on the car. Alice, on the other hand, was laughing to herself in the driver's seat.

As soon as I sat down and was belted in, Alice was off, and the big white house was soon as small mass before it disappeared in the green foliage.

Alice wouldn't let me get out of the car.

"Alice," I hissed, checking over my shoulder at the light in the window staring at me. "I have to get inside!"

"I know! I just can't find the bag."

"What bag?"

"For you!"

"I - I really - I don't need it anyway."

"Don't you get out of this car until I say so or I swear you will regret it."

I sat back with a huff as she continued to rummage through the back seat while still sitting in the front.

"Ah-ha!" She crowed, coming back with the bag she had offered me earlier. I eyed it warily. "Here it is, this is for you."

"Alice, I can't accept this."

"And why not?"

"Because - because I would feel guilty."

"Why? It's not like you asked for them, I'm giving them to you. Here, take it."

She thrust it in my face and wouldn't budge her arm so I took them and went to get out of the car.

"Where are you going?"

"Um, inside?"

"Open the bag first and then you can."

I didn't even want to argue with her anymore, she was going to get her way no matter what. I knew it and so did she. I undid the simple knot with my nails and tried to pull something out in the dark.

If these were clothes she was going to let me play in... There was no way I would have been able to afford them even if I had dreamed to let myself want them. The first I had pulled out was a complicated deep blue shirt with ruffles and lace and ties and obviously very expensive. I turned wide eyes to Alice who was smiling like she had handed me the best birthday present ever.

"I can't accept these." I said smally.

Her small body deflated. "Why not?"

"They're so nice, Alice. Surely you could find somewhere better to wear them or wear them better than me. Don't get me wrong," I continued on quickly, "it's beautiful, but I don't know what I'd do with them."

"You wear them when you go somewhere." She said with a roll of her eyes, her body quickly whipping back into their attentive position.

"I have nowhere to go," I continued to argue, "except the diner and the school."

She smiled evily. "Not anymore. Now you have me, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, and, of course, Edward. You'll have dates with him and you can go places with us now. Just take the clothes, I don't wear them anymore and you'll have much better use for them than me anyway." Her face was set in stone, telling me I wasn't going to argue and if I tried I wasn't going to win.

I sighed in defeat and tied the bag back to its simple knot. "Thank you, Alice. Really."

"I know." She preened. "Just make sure they all go on hangers."

"Sure, sure." Finally able to get out, I briskly walked to the porch, turning to wave to Alice as she turned around to leave. She honked her horn and I winced, hoping I wouldn't be in trouble for that. And on that subject... great, I was going to be asked where I had gotten the clothes and if they were charity. Fantastic.

But I went up anyway, trying to think of something to keep my mind off the impending argument that was soon to happen.

Maybe the thought of kissing Edward in his personal music room could take me somewhere nice.


	15. A Little More

Another day, another chapter. :)

So, I'm having this thought of getting a Twitter (yes, yes, I know) or maybe creating a Facebook for my fanfiction. Would you be interested? With a Twitter/Facebook, I would put up hints to the next chapter, maybe a paragraph, or a line and I can keep you all updated on how well my chapters are coming along and let you all know what is going on so you can expect a chapter on such-and-such date. Would you be interested?

This would have been out earlier, but spending time with your best friend out in boo-foo where your computer does not charge and she doesn't have internet is kind of hard... That and I wanted to go over and make sure everything was satisfactory. I know for a fact at some point I'm redoing previous chapters.

Thanks to VanessaWolfie for the very kind review. I can tell you what, girl, it seriously made my day and gave me more confidence in my writing.

Thank you to all of you. Truly, you all are the best an authoress can ask for.

AND NOW! Onwards, Forwards, and Don't Look Back.

I was lucky, only Sue was in the kitchen when I came in and her back was to me, leaving me to race to my room so I could hide the bag without questions.

"Bella? Is that you?"

"Yes." I opened my closet door and threw the clothes in the closet, thinking if I wanted to go through them or not.

"Did you have a nice time?"

"Yeah, it was great."

"What did you do?"

"We played baseball."

"Baseball? You and Alice played baseball by yourselves?"

Looks like I'd forgotten my habit of thinking before I speak. I could have slapped myself. "I meant we watched a bit of baseball. It was on the t.v while we were painting our nails and we didn't feel like changing the channel."

"That sounds like fun. What else did you do?"

"We, um, went out to play around and then we went back to the house and ordered pizza and talked." I waited until I heard her reply before I walked into the kitchen in case the lie showed on my face.

"That sounds like a lot of fun, Bella." She said, finishing the spread of peanut butter on toast. "I'm glad Peter let you go. Is that all?" She took a bite of her bread. "What did you talk about?" She continued to prod. I was hoping she would drop it so I wouldn't have to keep lying. I hated lying to Sue; I never had before. But it was to the point now where I didn't have a choice.

"Oh, you know, just girl things."

"You're not still hungry are you?"

"No, I think I ate enough pizza for a week."

"Well, alright - where's the polish?"

"What?"

"The nail polish. Didn't you say you painted your nails? I don't see any polish."

I checked my fingers and nails, feeling really stupid for telling her a lie that couldn't be covered while at the same time feeling a prick of fear of being found out.

"Oh, yeah, I took it off. I wasn't that fond of the color."

Sue threw the rest of her toast in her mouth. "You didn't hurt Alice's feelings did you?"

I continued to search around wildly for an excuse. It was hard to do that without looking panicked or guilty. "I don't think so."

"Well, that's good. Hey, where are you going?" She asked as I tried to go back to the safety of my room. "Come sit and talk with me, I feel like we haven't in so long."

I followed her back to the couch, sitting on the very far end of the couch while she sat on the other.

"What are you doing over there?" She laughed. "Come here," she offered her arms for me to scoot into. "There we go. Now, I have some questions for you." I felt my heart pick up the beat guiltily and anxiously. "So, this Edward Masen boy... Do you still like him?"

My eyes flittered across the room, searching for a trap. "I... guess?"

"You guess?" She giggled. "What kind of answer is that? Either you do or you don't. Do you want to date him?"

"I... I don't know." The guilt was building in my stomach. How was I supposed to tell her that I was dating him, that I did like him, that we'd kissed, and that I felt electrified everytime I was near him? I couldn't. Not without consequences.

"You know, I don't have any problem with you dating. I think it would be a good thing for you. It's healthy." She smiled. "I enjoyed dating your father. I enjoyed the dates I went on in highschool. I just want to make sure that after your father's death that you're not suffering for it."

"I'm not suffering anything, Sue."

She smiled sadly. "I'd like to believe it, Bella, but I think my decisions in the past have caused you more harm that good. You're ninteen, almost turning twenty, still living at home and working two 're up before the sun and you go to bed after it and I don't see you hanging out with any friends outside of work, not that work would permit it, but that's why I'm so worried." She hugged me close. "I guess I'm trying to apologize, honey. For everything. I feel like we don't have much time together anymore, I feel like you missed out on everything that you should have had in your younger years and your teenage years and now there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sorry, Bella."

By the time she was done, she was near tears and I felt horrible. I threw me arms around her and hugged her tightly. "I'm fine, Sue. Really. You don't have to worry. I didn't miss out on much, I know I didn't." I squeezed my eyes shut to keep my own tears away. "I was and still am happy to have you as my mother."

She pulled me tighter to her, her hands pressing deeply into my back. "I'm glad to hear you say that, Bella." She sniffled a little and then pulled away, her eyes still wet but Sue was never one for crying. "So, tell me, you've gotten to know him better, I'm sure, right? Edward, I mean."

I nodded. "A little better."

"Well, tell me about him. What else do you know? Is he still bi polar with his feelings?"

I shook my head. "No, I think I misunderstood him." That was an understatement. "He's very talented. He a muscian, you know. He can play any instrument he touches and it's not just playing, it like feeling. And he's... great." I finished lamely. "I don't know what else to tell you."

I could just feel the dopey smile on my face but one look from Sue wiped it off. "What?"

"I have no doubt about your intuition or you at all. But I'm wondering if, maybe, you should try to learn more about him? More about who he is and what he likes instead of what he just shows to everyone."

There was more to him that I knew. Much more than I could tell her.

"Oh, honey, don't look like that. I have no doubt that you know what's best for you. It just seems to me that you both need to learn more about each other, what you like, dislike, what you think and what he thinks. Am I making sense?" She sighed; I could see her chewing on her cheek, defining her cheekbones more.

"You're making perfect sense." I assured her. "I know what you mean."

She released her cheek. "I hope so. Is there anything else you want to tell me about him?"

It hit me like a punch to my stomach how badly I wanted to talk to Sue. I wanted to ask her if I was acting right or how I should react to certain situations. I wanted to ask her if it was normal to feel this electricity shoot through my belly everytime he brushed me or how I was supposed to get closer to his friends. I wanted to know if I was coming on too strong or not enough or if I could get away with dating him without Peter making a scene. I wanted to talk to her and have some relationship with her, even if it was the small one when she was married to my dad.

"I don't think so." I finally said. "That's all."

She smiled smally. "If you ever do need to talk, I am here, Bella."

I couldn't answer that.

"Well, are you hungry? There a few things still in the fridge. I could make you something if you want."

"No, we ate pizza, remember?"

"Oh, that's right. Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you later tomorrow, honey. I have another day at the hotel. Goodnight, sweetheart." She hefted herself off the couch, pulling her hair into a low ponytail with her hand and then let it go, a habit she does when she's tired that she's had since I can remember. "When Peter comes back, tell him I've gone to bed."

"Where is he?"

"Something about dogs scratching the side of the house so bad we have a hole now. He went outside to see if he could board it up."

"Oh. Goodnight."

"'Night." Her door closed with a soft sound and the house was silent for me.

I stayed sitting on the couch, looking at Sue's door and then where she had sat. I knew there would be no way to tell her about Edward and me, about anything. I felt alone.

I sighed, wanting to move, to go back to my room, but my body felt too heavy with words I couldn't say, with feelings I couldn't convey, and with disappointment. I knew I would have to go through this by myself and though I wished I had some sort of help with this first time, embarrassing, experience, I had done fine on my own, I could continue to stumble through until I got it down... if I ever did.

I got to my feet and just stood there, trying to figure out the tangled mess that was my brain. Would I always be like this? Spend some wonderful time with Edward or with any of them and then dread coming back home?

I closed my eyes and shook my head, hoping to dispell some of these thoughts before I made a mess of myself.

The next morning, I woke up at my usual time, but instead of getting up, I rolled over to face the wall and fell back asleep.

When I woke up again, it was to the sounds of something plinking against my window. It jolted me awake, my heart pounding. Was someone trying to get in? I had locked the window, right?

Tip toeing carefully, I peeled a half inch of my curtain away and saw a large, tan body reaching for the ground for another rock.

I threw back the curtains and unlocked the window, thrusting my head out. "Jake!"

He stopped mid throw and dropped the rock. "Bella! Hey!" He squinted up at me. "Did I wake you up? I thought you were always up early?"

"Uh, yeah, you did, but it's fine. Give me a minute, I'll be down in a minute!" I shut the window, making sure it hit the sill with a satisfying thud, locked it, and pulled the curtains together so not even the sun could penetrate it. I checked my door was locked before changing.

"Where are you going?"

I stopped mid step. "I'm going outside."

"You don't have anything to do on Sunday." Peter said from behind his newspaper. "You don't go anywhere. Where are you going?"

"It's nice outside today, it's not raining. I'm just going outside for the change of weather."

Peter dropped the paper, staring at me over the brim of thin paper. He raised his eye brows, lowered them, and then brought the paper back to his face. I took that as permission and was quickly outside, grabbing Jake in a fierce hug.

"Jake, how are you?" In customary fashion, he hauled me off my feet, his arms tight around my waist. "Yeah, I missed your hugs," I said softly. Jake could continually remind me of familar things, of happy moments and home. After my feelings last night, I knew at that point that Jake would never leave me and I would always have him.

"I haven't seen you in, what, a week?"

"I know." I replied. I looked over my shoulder and back to him. "Let's go for a walk. We can talk on the way."

He motioned with his arm for me to lead the way. I started at a brisk walk, hoping that I could get away from the sight of the house before Peter saw me with Jacob. I didn't think Jake was in the clear yet after what happened last weekend, and even if he was, I doubted I would still be allowed to go with him alone.

"So, what have you been doing?" I asked him. "I mean, you haven't come seen me in a week. What's got you so busy?"

"Just school." He answered. "These exams are coming up and I've been trying to study for them. You know, if I can keep my grades up, I'll be in the running for top of my class."

"Oh my gosh, Jake! That's great!"

"But if you want me to come see you, I can find the time."

"No. Your grades are much more important than me. I don't want you compromising yourself because of me. I won't allow it."

"Nothing is more important than you." The way he said it made me feel suddenly embarrassed.

"If I had known it was your grades, I wouldn't even have brought it up. I thought you had finally gotten a girlfriend or something."

"What is it with you and the sudden intrest of my love life?"

I shrugged. "I just want you to be happy."

"I don't need a girlfriend to be happy." He stated, kicking at a rock with the toe of his sneaker.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know what you meant. The right girl just hasn't come along and taken notice yet." A pause came between us. "Enough about me. What have you been doing lately without me?"

"Oh, nothing much."

"Oh, really?" He said, nonchalantly. "Because word is is that you're hanging around with the Cullens. Edward Cullen in particular."

Dang it. "Where'd you hear that?"

"The whole school is talking about it. Bella, what happened to him using you and blackmailing you? What happened to all those girls making your life a living hell?"

"It was a misunderstanding." I said meekly.

"And why did you not tell me? I thought we were best friends and best friends tell each other everything."

"Jake, don't pout."

"I'm not pouting. I just want to know why my best friend decides she's going to hang out with the Cullens, who caused her so much pain to begin with and not even bother telling me about it."

"To be honest," I cut in, "I didn't think it mattered and I haven't seen you around to tell you."

"I just don't like it."

"Since when? The past few times it's been brought up, you didn't say anything."

"That's because I didn't think you were going to date him!"

"Jacob Black, it is none of your business who I date and who I hang out with. I'm sorry I haven't seen you this past week, but is it really worth to get this upset?"

"You're missing the point," he grumbled. "Whatever. I'll drop it." He kicked another rock, a little too forcefully, but I didn't say anything. There was, however, one thing I had to clear up right away.

"The whole school is talking about us?"

He nodded. "Yep. The school maid and the prince of the school, they're calling you. I think they're just trying to romanticize it, but that's just me."

"Why are they talking about us?"

"Really, Bella? Come on, you two get into this huge public fight, rumors are flying around that you slept with him because of his money, you avoid each other for weeks, and then suddenly, without warning, you two are holding hands and looking cozy one morning. Oh, by the way, Lauren found out, so I would stay in bright, public places for a while."

"Lauren Mallory?"

"Uh huh."

I knew that name. I mean, everyone in the school knew her name: the rich, natural white blonde who had it all. But her name was more familiar to me than that... Oh, crap. "Did she go out with Edward for a little while?"

"A little while in an understatement. She went out with him for less than two days before he broke it off with her. She was royally pissed when he more or less broke up with her in the car on the way to school."

"After stopping in front of a bus."

"Yeah, she kept going on about a bus. Why do you know that?"

"Because I was on that bus." This was just perfect.

Jake's eyes widened and then he started laughing. "You are the girl from the bus? Oh, geez, this is great."

"I'm glad you can laugh at this."  
"Just stay in the light. Vampires don't come out during the day."

I gave his shoulder a hard nudge, but laughed.

We had gone pretty far in the woods by this point, with the sound of a brook running up ahead. I sat on the large, flat rock by the brook, pulling my legs up to my chin. Jake fidgeted beside me; I knew he had something he wanted to ask and didn't know how.

"Just spit it out." I finally said, throwing a stick into the water.

"What happened after I dropped you off?"

"Last weekend?"

He nodded.

"I got yelled at, which is understandable. They didn't know where I was and I didn't call."

"Nothing happened out of the ordinary?"

I shook my head.

His face was then in front of mine, squinting like that was going to drag a better answer out of me. "Are you lying to me?"

"No."

"I think you are. What happened?"

"I told you. I got yelled at."

"And?" I remained silent, throwing another stick in the water. If I told him what was yelled at me, he would go balistic and probably try to start a fight with Peter to get back at him. I wouldn't let that happen with Jake because he would get hurt at best and I would never be allowed to have him in my life.

"Fine, don't tell me." He pulled his body away and even scooted down the rock a few inches.

"C'mon, Jake, don't be like this. Nothing happened, I'm fine, and we're here together catching up. I'll make it up to you, I promise, I'll spend more time with you. I'll help you study if you want."

He huffed, rolling his weight to rest on his hands. "I'm being stupid, I know."

I grinned. "Yeah, you are, but if you weren't you wouldn't be my Jake."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He got up and stood on the very edge of the bank. "You know, winter's coming in."

"Yeah, I know. I can feel the weather changing."

"Do you think the water would be cold?"

"It's always cold." I rolled my eyes. I should have seen it coming and I was an idiot to not. Jake took an innocent step into the water, and quicker than my relaxed mind could see, he threw a full-to-the-brim handful at me. It landed in my hair, on my face, and down my neck to continue down my shirt. I shrieked and rolled to the side, trying to get out of the way, but I rolled the wrong way and fell onto the ground, but my kinetic energy wasn't done and I rolled over one more time right into the water.

I jumped to my feet, freezing water dripping from my hair and clothes. "Jacob!" I screamed. "I cannot believe you! Look at me!"

He was laughing so hard, he couldn't stand up straight; his hands were on his knees and his head was so far over, his hair covered his face.

I was so angry at how cold and wet I was, I pulled my leg so far back that when I kicked I sent a wave towards him, but my other foot slipped out from underneath me and I fell, hard, back into the water. My only satisfaction was that Jacob too was now soaked from head to shoulders, but it was short lived when he saw me in the water again and busted out into harder laughter.

I got to my feet as quick as I could and took advantage of his laughter by jumping him, knocking him full into the shallow water. He yelled as he went down and I landed on top of him, throwing more water on him while he spluttered, shaking his hair from his face.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" I laughed smugly.

"You think you're so funny, don't you?" He growled, grabbing me by my waist.

"Jake, don't." I warned.

He was on his feet with his hands still around my waist, no matter how hard I struggled.

"Jake,"

"How deep do you think this goes?" He questioned as he hoisted me into the air.

"Jake!"

"Well, let's see."

"You started this! If you throw me, I swear I will refuse to see you for the next month!"

He lowered me. "Aw, Bells, I'm just joking."

"You better be." I wiggled out of his arms and ran for the safety of the rock, splashing water everywhere. "Do you know how long it's going to take to dry out? I can't go home like this!"

"Then stay with me longer." He waded through the water and gingerly climbed on the rock to stretched out. I had secretly hoped he would slip and fall back into the water.

"I have no choice it looks like." I sighed.

He grinned.

I stared at him for a long moment. "I think you planned this."

Monday morning I was up at my regular time. My hair in the half pony tail, and a white shirt and jeans. I was out the door before anyone else woke up and on the bus for work.

I was in the back finishing the tie on my apron and gathering my notepad and pen for the pockets when I heard the bell ring.

"Good morning." I smiled, the Marlers taking their regular table. "What can I get for you today?"

"The morning order for us all, please," the oldest girl, Kayleigh, said, slapping the hand of her youngest sister away as she tried to pinch her.

"Coming right up."

The day was fine. I didn't trip once, or even spill a plate in anyone's lap for that matter, it wasn't raining, only cloudy, and I was feeling rather good about the day. As I was trying to make my way back to the kitchen, smiling and wishing the usual a good morning, I felt a quick tap on my shoulder. I smiled for the customer, but it widened of its own accord when I saw it was Edward standing there, his sunglasses obscuring his eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked right away.

"Go?"

"Yes."

"Where are we going?"

He shrugged. "Wherever you want to."

"Edward," I laughed. "I can't just leave, I have to work." His eyes bore into me like I was intentionally missing something. "And speaking of work, can I get you anything to eat?"

"I was right in guessing you'd forget." He said, more to himself than me.

"Forget?"

He pulled his sunglasses low enough for me to just see the green on his eyes. "You off work at this time."

"What are you talking about? I always work at this time." I pulled my notepad out of my pocket. "Are you here to order or here to tease?"

"Have you really forgotten?" He took his sunglasses completely off. "Don't you remember? Mr. Webber gave you part of the morning off. You get off work two hours earlier now."

I did remember that now that he brought it up, but I didn't think Mr. Webber actually meant it and I told Edward that.

"But he did," he argued. "Would you like to take it up with him?"

"That's not necessary," I argued back. "I have two hours left to work. If you want, you can wait and take me to the school if you want to be with me so bad." Which, despite my hard tone, my stomach was doing flips of happiness at the thought.

"Mr. Webber!" Edward shouted over my shoulder. "May I speak with you, please?" People were staring at him and then at me and I just knew they were thinking the clumsy waitress had offended somebody.

"Edward! Ssh! People are staring."

"I don't care about them. Yes, Mr. Webber." The kind man had come out of the back office at Edward's beck and call. "Would you be so kind as to explain to Bella, again, that she can take two hours off? She can't seem to understand it."

I shot him a deep scowl.

"Mr. Webber, tell him that he's imagining things and that just because he has money doesn't mean he can get whatever he wants whenever he wants." Take that, arrogant, handsome, rich boy.

"But he's right." Mr. Webber stated easily. I felt my face go blank in shock and the smugness radiate off Edward.

"But, Mr. Webber, I need those two hours pay."

"I know, which is why you're still getting the pay."

I blanched and took a step back. "You're not serious. Mr. Webber, I can still work, I like working here, and I seriously do not feel right about taking money that I haven't earned. And why would you pay me money I haven't earned? It goes against business." Something was telling me to shut up now before I lost my job over something so stupid as telling my boss how to run his restaurant.

"I can assure you, Bella, I am not losing money. I will continue to pay you your regular amount and you can finally get what you deserve, a little time to do what you want. I know you work here, I know you work at the University, and I know that you are nineteen years old with hardly any time to yourself. You are growing up not knowing what life is, so I am telling you take two hours to go enjoy yourself. And no," he stopped me before I opened my mouth, "I am not saying any different. If you continue to fight me on this, I might just fire you." He said it like a joke, I know he meant it like a joke, but those words, even said good humoredly, scared me. If I lost a job, my family and I were in trouble.

I didn't know what else to do. I had two men staring expectantly at me, a whole room of regular customers watching this play out like we were on some sitcom; I never did well under pressure.

"Fine." I grumbled, not feeling right about it at all. "Just... fine."

"There you go. Don't worry, Angela can handle everything." He pat my shoulder once as he passed me to go back to his office.

I turned to Edward who was so smug in his victory, I thought I would have to take a bath to wash it off me. "This isn't over." I growled.

"Oh, but it is."

He reached behind me, untied my apron, and folded it over an empty bench.

"Hey," I protested, but stopped when he put his arm around my shoulders and led me outside to his car.

Inside and down the road, I still hadn't spoken one word to him. I don't know why I was sulking really. I got off work two hours early, my payment was not going to decrease, and I was riding with Edward in his car which smelled fabulous.

"How long are you going to pout?" He said lightly with his eyes on the road.

"For as long as I want." I answered childishly.

"You are the only person, I think, who is upset because she is allowed to get off work early and still get paid her regular check."

"I don't feel right about it."

He raised his eyebrows a little and then let them fall.

The silence continued on down the road, but I told myself I would not be the one to break it. He started this and if he thinks I'm just going to gush because he's handsome, rich, and I get the honor of spending time with him, he's got another thing coming. He can work at thinking of what to say to me to get me to respond. I'm not giving in.

"Where are we going?"

He grinned, realizing he won before I did. I had to work on my personal pep talks.

"I'm going to take you to get breakfast. I know you haven't eaten."

Was he serious? "Are you serious? Why didn't we just eat at the diner then?"

"Because I didn't want you trying to find some excuse to work. Besides, I want you to have a change of scenery and don't argue. You'll lose."

Well, he just earned himself another ten minutes of silence.

I was all prepared for the horror of some huge, expensive place. We had driven for a while, out of the town of Forks, maybe just the outskirts. I didn't know, I wasn't paying attention, but we pulled up instead to another small restaurant. As I stared at it suspiciously, Edward got my door and gave me a pointed look when I didn't move. I huffed and unbuckled my seat belt.

Inside, seated, ordered, and waiting, I kept looking at him from under my eyelashes, trying to figure out what to say or what he was thinking. It was driving me a little insane at that point what with all my childishness and his ability to overlook it and still want to be seen with me in public. What in the world was he thinking? It was maddening trying to look past the neutral face he constantly wore.

"Would you like to ask me whatever it is you want to ask me, or are you going to continue staring?" He didn't even look at me as he said it, just kept a steady gaze out the window. I sat back in shock of being caught, my heart skipped a beat when his pupils sidled to the corners of his eyes to catch my eyes and then wink, his mouth lazily forming into a lopsided grin

"What's your favorite color?" I blurted before realizing how much of an idiot I sounded. The blush flushed across my face and neck and there was no way to stop it.

He turned to me, obviously not expecting me to ask it. "Blue."

"Oh."

It was for sure. I would always be awkward. There was no cure, no hope, no help for me. I almost buried my face in my arms but Edward's voice stopped me. "Yours?"

"Green." I shot out, hoping for the life of me I wasn't giving myself away by blushing because I had answered as soon as I looked in his eyes.

"What's your favorite flower?" He asked.

"Daffodils."

His face looked slightly confused. "Why daffodils? I thought girls liked roses."

"I like roses, don't get me wrong, but daffodils just make me feel happy." I bit my lip. "You know, now that I think about it, I haven't seen even one in so long because they can't grow in Washington weather."

"Hm. What's season do you prefer?"

"Hey, it's my turn to ask a question."

"You were slow in asking. Favorite season?"

I rolled my eyes. "Spring."

He laughed. "Our shortest season."

"Favorite artist? Of any kind of art, dance, theater, music, drawings."

He considered. "I don't have a favorite."

"Come on, everyone has a favorite."

"I'm sure they do, but I believe they all have something to give us, you can't tell someone how to express themselves, they do it how they want. I will tell you though, I do not care for the top forty countdown."

It went on like that for a good hour, even after our food had come. Inbetween bites we'd throw questions to each other and the other would answer as soon as they swallowed. There was one point where he had asked me if I had ever taken dance before and I choked on my soda, sputtering between coughs why he thought it. I think for the first time I saw a faint blush in the apples of his cheeks as he answered it was the way I moved. I blanched and then laughed, waving his answer off.

Edward was funny, something I hadn't noticed before. His sarcasm was what I was used to, but it was his dry wit that had me in full out laughter that was so loud, I had to cover my mouth.

"You know," he smiled as I was collecting myself. "I think I could easily love you."

My laughter died right away. I couldn't find the words to form what I was thinking. He loved me? I must have heard wrong. "What?"

He looked shocked that he had said it, like he had meant to keep it to himself instead of saying it out loud for me to hear. "I'm sorry, I didn't - I meant I could, not that I - excuse me." He pulled two twenties from his wallet, threw them with wasted force on the table, and left the booth. Stunned, I watched him exit the building at a fast walk; where was he going? I watched him try to wrench open his car door, but it being locked, it wouldn't give way to him. The loud sound of his hand slipping from the handle and it banging against the metal of the car made him look back. He bent over, his elbows resting on his knees, his hands diving into his hair to grasp so tightly, somewhere in the back of my frozen mind, I wondered strangely if he would pull it out. I saw his mouth move over and over, but it was the loud curse word I heard from the parking lot that jolted me.

"Are you ready to pay?"

The girl, our waitress, was standing over me though her eyes kept going flicking to Edward out the window, who had taken his hands out of his hair to lean against the car.

"Yes," I said a little too loudly. "Here." I roughly handed her the two twenties and grabbed Edward's wallet he'd left on the table. "Keep the change."

I didn't know how to approach him when he was watching me like a predator with guarded eyes that were opposite of the clear green ten minutes ago. His body language was defensive, his arms crossed as he leaned against my side of the car with his shoulders braced against anything I could possibly say to hurt him.

"You forgot your wallet." I came up with brilliantly. I held it out for him to take.

He did so without a word.

"Look, about what just happened," I paused, thinking he would interrupt me, but he didn't and I had to quickly come up with how I was going to finish the sentence. "I was just shocked. I didn't mean to shut down on you like I did, I was shocked that you had said you loved me and -"

"I didn't say I love you," he snapped, his eyes like a wall, "I said I could easily love you."

My face was suddenly too hot and if the ground wanted to open up at that moment, be my guest. "Oh."

He stared at me through his hair and angry eyebrows. "Do you think that just because I'm spending time with you and told you some idiotic memories that you are special? I could have told many girls the same story and you would never know. Don't put yourself on a pedestal, Bella, because I can collapse it on you faster than you can imagine."

The shock of his words took my breath away. What in the name of - what was his problem? I felt the inside of my self esteem crack, threatening to splinter around me until I saw a flicker behind the wall he had put up and I understood.

"Say whatever you want, Edward," I answered calmly. "But you aren't going to scare me away. Just because you let your guard down with me for a moment doesn't mean I'm going to take advantage of you or that I'm going to flaunt it to the world for my advantage." The words I spoke, however, didn't take away the sting that his words had left me; mainly the ones about how I wasn't special to him, because he was certainly special to me. "So you said you could love me, big deal. I could easily love you too," there I said it. "Now that I've said it, do you want me to try to run you off?"

His eyes held mine for a brief second and then he blinked, his head coming down in what appeared to be defeat and relief at once. "You'd be better if you did." He sighed.

"No, I wouldn't. Believe it or not, even when you're being obnoxiously stubborn, I enjoy being with you." A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You're unbelievable."

"And you're ridiculous."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes hard with the heel of his palm and following the lines of his jaws with his fingers. "Alright." He opened my car door and motioned for me to get in. Little was said on the ride to school, but the atmosphere in the car was clear.

The clock in his expensive dashboard said we were early, too early for me to go into work.

"Do you want to wait here with me?" He asked me. "You can turn my iPod on."

I nodded, tentively reaching for his music, scrolling for a song to make the silence disappear. As the music trickled through the car, he said, "I would like to, for what I'm hoping is the last time, apologize. I'm not the... easiest person to get to know."

"No, but I understand. A relationship of any kind needs work, ours' will just take a little more than normal." I grinned to show him I was being sincere and not complainitive.

He returned my smile and inclined himself towards me. I met him halfway and kissed him, feeling a little happier at the contact. I finally had someone worth standing beside and fighting for. I wasn't going to give it up without a fight.

A rap on the window made me jump. Edward swug backwards so hard, the sharp crack of his head against the window made me jump again.

He grunted in pain, his hand touching his head and them coming to his mouth coming away with blood.

"Did I bite you?" I asked in horror.

He didn't hear me, or he ignored me, I don't know which, and opened the door coming face to face with Lauren. She had her hair in a high pony tail and her expensive sunglasses on her head. She tossed back her bangs from her forehead and said, "May I have a word?"

He didn't even glance at me as he got out of the car without a complaint and stood in front of her. "What do you want, Lauren?"

"Why in the name of God did you choose the mousy, cafeteria girl over me?"

All I could see were their legs and waists. I couldn't see Edward's face, but the way his hands balled at his sides were not a good indication. I jumped out of the car, only to be stopped by Lauren swinging her head to penetrate me with her blue eyes like seeing me made the situation real.

"Really, Edward? You've fallen so far that you have to date the help now?"

"Lauren, I suggest you stop."

"Why?" She sneered. "I'm not afraid of you. You could have had me but instead you chose the poor girl from the lunchroom to serve your need." She grinned at her play on words.

"I'm warning you," Edward said darkly. "One more word from you against her and you'll regret it."

Her smirk slipped away and she glared at him, remembering who he was and choosing her next words carefully. "Are you really so serious about her?"

And he answered without hesitation, "Yes."

Her glare didn't waver, but her frown did turn into another smile, looking as innocent as the poster child of America. "Well then, would you be willing to prove your serious? Like some gallant hero, would you prove to all of us that she's who you want?"

He didn't answer, but I could tell he was waiting for her to finish. Was he really considering this?

"Then follow me." Lauren commanded.

I expected him to turn away from her, to send her away without another word and we'd walk away together. To my surprise he did the exact opposite, following her to join a group of people that had formed. I debated staying behind and watching from here, but I couldn't let myself do that. I jogged behind them, trying to ignore the snickers from the people who watched me.

"Edward is going to jog the entire parking lot," Lauren was announcing to the group of people. I had reached Edward's side, touching his shoulder as I approached. He turned to me at my fingers on him, smirking, telling me with a devilish impishness in his eyes that he could easily prove himself that way.

Lauren bent over to her shoes, unstrapping her platform sandals and then dangling them from her forefingers. "But you'll be running with my shoes on your feet."

The smirk disappeared like magic, transferring to Lauren. "Don't you remember? You bought me these shoes because I asked. They're the last thing I received from you, very fitting, don't you think?" She reminded me of a cat that had eaten a very deserving meal.

I glanced to Edward while he rolled his eyes, wondering how he was taking this. He wouldn't do that, not only was it completely ridiculous, but it was also degrading and humiliating. I wasn't expecting him to do this, I didn't want him to do this.

"Edward," I said quietly, hoping the crowd around us couldn't hear. "You don't have to -"

He stuck his hand out, his first two fingers extended farther out like a hook. Lauren's smile widened as she took her victory of placing them over his fingers, and crossing her arms under her chest, her weight shifting to her right side.

He took his shoes off, kept his socks on, and slid on the sandals. It was ridiculous looking at him, his heel so far off the edge of the ladylike shoe, the strap near the front of the toe was the only thing keeping the shoes on his feet.

Lauren raised her eyebrows expectantly. "Well? Go."

"Edward," I tried to stop him, but he went past me and pushed past the group of people, running as fast as the humiliating shoes would allow him.

Obviously not thinking he would do it because they wouldn't have, everyone was flabergasted. Some looked from me to him and back again, asking themselves why he would put himself through this humiliating experience. They chased after him, some changing their tune and cheering him on, others staying behind with Lauren to say how stupid he was, what a moron he was, but she had gotten her just revenge in any case. They spoke the words she wanted to hear, yet Lauren's face said things hadn't gone her way. I didn't feel any pity for her at all, not even as she shuffled from foot to foot because the pavement was cold.

I was left to watch Edward run, a smile on his face the whole way. The majority of the group had followed him and were now cheering him on. I don't know how he did it: everyone followed him in anything he did. They would defend and follow him, even when he was said to have lost his mind by dating the girl so beneath his status she hand shined his reputation for him. I was hoping if he had to do this, if he felt some need to prove something, that it really was for the intentions named and not because he felt bad for overreacting at the diner.

He stumbled twice, once because he had misjusged a step and tripped over the toe of the shoe, the second time his ankle had given out in his left leg and bent sideways, but he righted himself qucikly and ran on to the encouraging yells of everyone. He would occasionally throw his hair out of his eyes, screwing his eyes shut before forcing them open again, a look of determinating hard on his face.

I craned to watch his progress over the tops of cars, he was past the halfway point with enough pavement left before he was finished. Whatever I thought his intentions were, I did know what this meant for him, to put himself in this position, the favorite of the school running in women's platforms to prove he was serious about the cafeteria girl; Pride for him and appreciation for what this did to him and what it meant for me ballooned inside my chest. My hands formed a wall around my mouth to keep let my excited cheers out but the worried words in

And then he fell, disappearing behind one of the cars and he didn't get back up.

"Edward!" I yelled, running to him as fast as I could, dodging in between the cars and knocking off a side mirror of a car. I ignored the aching pain in my arm to get to him, thinking he fell or his tripped or that he might be bleeding or hurt. But I was beaten there. Already there was a girl who had his head in her lap, lightly tapping his cheeks and calling his name.

"Edward. Wake up, Edward."

I stopped just inside the wide circle people had made around them, gasping for air and not knowing what to do. The girl hadn't noticed me yet she was so concentrated on bring him back to conciousness. Should I get on the other side of him? Should I let her wake him up? She looked like she knew what she was doing whereas I would have been fumbling and panicked more than I was.

His head turned slightly to the side and he mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"No," the girl said calmly. "I'm Tanya. Come on, Edward, open your eyes and show us you're alright."

His eyes opened immediately, very confused. His eyes from her face and she smiled a lovely smile that paled me in comparison; she matched his looks with her own and had the status to match his. My self esteem took a blow to the stomach.

Edward flung out of her lap, looking angry. "Why was I," he gestured to her lap with his hand, "there?"

"I was on my way to the office," she explained, "when I saw you fall. What did you want me to do? Leave you? Oh, by the way you forehead's bleeding."

He scowled at her, letting the line of red starting to slide down his forehead go without hinderance. He saw me standing behind him and scrambled to his feet, stumbling again in the shoes. Cursing, he ripped them off and tossed them aside; one of Lauren's friends ran to grab them to make sure they got back to her.

I stepped to steady him. The heel of his hand came to press against his head like it would stop the dizziness.

"I'd say go to the nurse," Tanya said, still on the icy pavement, "but I don't think you'd listen to me." She turned her eyes to me. "If he is clearly not alright will you make sure he gets help?"

I nodded.

"Thank you."

She was thanking me, like I was doing her a favor. It irked me.

"I have to get to class," Edward muttered, turning us around. The people around us quickly parted a path for us. To others it looked like Edward had his arm around his girlfriend he was walking so straight and strong, already proven that he could do what he want however he wanted. Truth be told, and it worried me, he was using me as support, using me to stand up straight, and using my body to walk.

It was a long walk to the building with Edward panting through his nose and me struggling to look smooth under his weight.

Inside the safety of the deserted hall, Edward collapsed against the wall. I fell beside him on my knees, thinking he had fainted again, but he hadn't.

"I'm going to get Alice on spreading some story so they'll forget that." He mumbled, thinking I couldn't hear him.

"How often does this happen?" I questioned.

"Does what happen?"

"Edward, don't play stupid with me. This is the second random time this has happened."

"I thought you were going to forget."

"I thought it was a one time thing."

"It doesn't happen often."

"You also said it happened when you got over emotional." I pointed out, not letting it drop.

"You don't know what goes on in my head."

"Do you need to go to the nurse?" He decided to not open his mouth and answer me. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"I'm tired of doctors, I don't need them." He struggled to his feet. "I'm going to class." He took one look at my face and backtracked. "Bella, don't make that face. It's nothing to get upset over, I fell, I hit my head, and fell unconcious. That's it." He took my chin and kissed my forehead. "If I don't see you during a break, I'll see you during lunch."

I didn't believe him. While watching him walk away still weak, I decided that Edward had an embarassing situation that he didn't want anyone to know of, it was obvious. He was obviously narcoleptic.


	16. Not Much I Can Do

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I apologize PROFUSELY! I'm so sorry it took this long for me to get this to all of you! I appreciate your kindness and those who PMed with your kind impatience (lol I deserved it, I know!) it got me working long and hard again!

This was a hard chapter to write. You have to understand, with my stories, I have the basic outline and I know I want such-and-such to happen, but I don't plan out my story chapter by chapter. I'm one of those writers that sit down with no expectations on what I'll write and let what come come. For me, it helps me think on my feet, or in this case my fingertips and it does, I admit, legthen the time between each chapter. Well, that and life in general.

And for the past lord knows how long, I've been listening to the new GD and TOP album... do you know how hard it is to write with their sexy dorkiness playing in the background? But trust me, it was even harder to write without it lol.

So, as a New Years gift, I give you this chapter of Autumn's Concerto and I really hope you like it.

~0~

"Where have you been? You're late."

I kept walking, trying not to acknowledge him on my way to the back room to get my apron. "I'm sorry, Peter. the bus was running late."

"Don't let it happen again."

"What do you want me to do? Take over the bus myself?"

"I do not tolerate that tone, young lady."

"I'm just saying," I mumbled.

"How about I say you can't have a door to your room if you keep talking like that?"

I fought down the urge of panic. "I'm sorry."

"That's what I thought. Take over the register. I need to start the deep fryers in the back."

He was supposed to already have started them, but I didn't tell him that. It wasn't like many people came in at this time anyway, unless it was to get something from the machines near the doors. I watched the kids walk back and forth through the glass doors and windows, moderately energized because of the weather, cold, but not raining or snowing. Just cloudy and perfect for sitting outside. For Forks, anyway.

After this morning, after so many times of spending time with Edward, I let my mind wander to what it would be like if I could be with Edward whenever I wanted and without the worry that we would always have to be careful of not being caught. I felt jealous of the people who openly walked around holding the hand of their loved one, of those who walked by in big groups of friends, laughing.

They're all right, I thought to myself absent mindedly. I don't have a social life.

My body jolted an inch away from the register. They were right, I thought. Sue, Mr. Webber, Edward... I didn't have a social life. And I wanted one. I watched students leave the building facing ours', students with lives and friends and boyfriend and girlfriends, who went out on nights to have fun and went to the movies together and spent time with each other. Girls who painted their friends' nails and gossiped and who had mothers to go to advice for without fear and fathers to protect them from the harsh world.

The years I had spent with Sue and now with Peter, years after I had the short time I did with my mother and father, raised me to know I would have to work for everything I needed, I could never have anything I wanted, I would never need anyone outside the three of us so it was best to stay within our walls and not even bother trying to make friends because they would end up using us. The only reason I had Jake was because he was before the deaths of my parents and had been stubborn enough to stay with me. But with the taste I'd been granted of friends that I had made myself and not by playdates from younger years that I can't remember and their acceptance of me was exhilerating to me. And to have Edward with me with the kisses and the talking and the fights... even the fights I enjoyed because it was something all couples did. I was turning into a normal teenager for the first time in my life with normal friends and a first normal boyfriend.

And it was bittersweet and unfair this new found self high, because I had to keep it hidden. I couldn't tell Sue about Edward apart from I saw him here and there with a minor crush that didn't matter. I couldn't tell her about going out with them all now or in the future if it happened because everything she heard she told Peter, not because she was trying to make trouble, but because Sue was one of those people that if she was happy for someone, she wanted to share it. And if Peter even found out I still hung around Jake as friends I would be in deeper trouble.

So, what were my options? Not many and none that ended well. But these options: tell Sue and in return Peter and lose everything I had gained these few weeks, or keep it to myself and continue to evade questions and lie and work to stay with Edward and his friends.

And I would do it.

I would keep the lies and the evading and the possibly consequences that were to come with it because this was the happiest I had been since I was young. I had thought so before, when this all had started and I began to understand how much I had been missing. But now, I was certain that I would stay Edward's girlfriend, keep Alice and the others as friends if they wanted to be, and whatever come could. I was, legally, an adult and could do as I wanted and accept the consequences when it was wrong. If I wanted to hang out with Jake, I could. If I wanted to go on dates with Edward, I could. If I wanted to spend time with Alice or any of the others, I would, because it was what I wanted.

"What's with the look?"

I jumped at the sound of his voice, falling backwards, grasping for purchase that wasn't there and fell hard on my backside.

Instead of being concerned for me, Jake was rolling with laughter against the counter. "Holy crap, Bella, overreact much?"

"Wow, Jake, jerk much?"

He scoffed. "We've been friends for how long and you still can't come up with a good enough come back? I'm a terrible friend." He did bend down to help me, but I waved his hand away.

"Nu-uh. I don't want help from a jackass." Said the girl who got her foot caught under the counter and fell again, making Jake laugh at me harder. He bent down to help me, moving my protesting hands out of the way, but the stupid idiot's hand slid against my hair and he fell too, which just caused him to collapse with ricocheting laughter -

"What the hell is going on in here?"

I immediately tried to shove him off me, trying to make it look as innocent as possible. But it was too late, Peter had already seen it and I knew, I knew, what it looked like and there would be no way to get out of it.

Jake looked up at him and tried to give him a persuading smile. Jake knew only a little of what Peter was like, I had made sure of that. And though Jake knew how awful this looked, he had no idea what was about to happen.

"Clumsy Bella fell, sir, and I was trying to help her up."

Jake, shut up! It sounded like a lie how flippantly he said it. I shoved him off me farther and was on my feet, jumping in front of Jake. "Nothing happened."

Peter was furious, I saw it. He eyes were murderous daggers that shot straight into me. The air between us thickened so much I couldn't draw breath anymore. "I knew it." He whispered dangerously. "I knew from the moment I saw him that you were going to betray me like this."

"Betray?" Jake scoffed foolishly behind me. "How could she-"

"You will shut up." Peter continued in that soft voice.

My blood turned to ice, I felt it freeze in my veins. I forced myself to turn around and press my hands against Jake's chest. "Leave." I said desperately. "Now."

"No." He answered, not even bothering to ignore my attempts at making him move because they were so futile and weak. "I don't understand what the problem is. Bella and I have been friends long before you came into the picture, before you even knew she existed."

"Don't you dare, boy."

"Dare what? You're always so melodramatic, no wonder Bella doesn't want to be around you."

Peter's eyes turned back on me. Oh, God, please, shut up, shut up, shut up! I felt my eyes widen as I shook my head desperately at Peter.

"Bella, stop lying." Jake continued on. "You make it clear you don't want to be around him. It's time you stop hiding from him. What's he going to do?" Jake challenged, looking over my head and full on staring at Peter's reddening face. "Ground you? You're nineteen, he legally can't do anything to you."

"Jake, please, don't say anymore." I begged.

"Isabella Marie, get over here now." I cringed against my name and, feeling like a child, I turned away from Jake and stood behind Peter with my head low, terrified of what I would see if I dared to look up. "Leave." Peter growled.

I could feel Jake's eyes on me and the shock and disappointment that I had, once again, listened to my over bearing step dad.

Just leave, I pleaded in my mind. Please, leave before it gets worse. I don't want you here.

Like he heard me, Jake turned and left, I saw his feet move him away from me. I looked up enough to see him look over his shoulder for one last look to me and then leave.

I ducked my head again, what hair I hadn't pinned back fell forward and created a shield around me from the aura I felt tremoring off Peter. I was too petrified to move any more than that.

He didn't say anything to me, his stare heavier on me than Jake's. What made it worse was I didn't know what he was thinking, I didn't know what my punishment would be. He saw me interacting with another boy, one who he had forbidden me to see and who he found hovering over me with me on my back. I had disobeyed him, obviously on purpose. Perhaps he would just yell at me. Or ground me. Maybe he wouldn't let me come to work anymore. Or maybe he would do good on his threat and take my door down.

Everything I felt plummeted to the ground.

I saw his hand first and steeled myself for the physical contact, sure he would slap me or maybe even push me. His fingers settled like iron around my chin and forced my head up so I would have nowhere else to look but his face. I swallowed, desperately reading his body language, his facial features, something that would clue me into what was going to happen to me.

He dropped my face and turned on his heel, leaving me standing there as he reached the door.

"Stay here and mind the counters." Was all he said to me before he left.

Confusion, fear, relief, and anxiety flooded me as soon as that door closed, as if my body had suddenly thawed. I let go of the breath I had been holding and tried to breathe deeper to slow my heart rate.

Standing there did nothing for me; It just made me more I turned to wipe the counters down but my hand was shaking so much I dropped the rag over the edge and when I went to pick it back up, I banged my head against the counter.

A weird gutteral noise came out of my mouth in response and I was slightly bleeding when I checked with my hand.

"Great."

I went back to the kitchen to grab a wet, clean towel and tried to stop the bleeding while I finished wiping down the counters. The clanging of the door opening scared me enough to drop the rag again, but it was just Jake. He stopped in his tracks after taking one look at me and then was sprinting the rest of the way, ripping the towel off my head and inspecting.

"Goddamn it," he hissed. "He did this to you didn't he? I swear to God if he's touched you-"

"It wasn't him, Jake." I said, jerking my head when he pressed a little too hard.

"Sorry."

"It's alright, it's just tender. I hit my head on the counter."

"Sure you didn't get it from falling down the stairs?" He replied sarcastically.

"Peter didn't hit me or anything. I dropped the towel and hit my head as I was coming back up. It happens all the time, remember?"

His eyes never left the crown of my head. "You've got some blood in your hair." He said dully. He took the towel from me and very gently dabbed and rubbed the spot of blood. "Bella, you need to be more careful." I could hear in his voice how he still didn't believe me.

"I know." I said, trying to enforce that it had been an accident.

"I mean it." He growled. I raised my eyebrows at him while looking at the floor. "Don't give me the eyebrow look. You know I can't stand it."

"You can't stand it when you know I'm right."

He huffed.

"Jake, just because you don't like him doesn't mean you need to look for some excuse to start a fight or something with him."

He continued to clean my hair and not answer me so I waited until he was ready to say something to me. Jake wasn't someone to go looking for a fight, but when he put his mind to something, there was rarely any stopping him.

"There, you're clean. At least you don't need stitches this time."

On a reflex I touched my head and winced at the stinging, but that was all. "Thank you."

"No problem."

He was looking away from me and staring at the counter like it was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. Meaning he was trying to keep what he was thinking to himself before he looked at me and spilled it all.

"You might as well tell me." I said gently. "Keeping it to yourself isn't going to make it better."

"I just don't get it." He erupted. "I knew he was a jackass but I didn't think it was anything like that. I mean, he just... there's something I don't like. He freaked out like he knew I had purposefully planned to land on top of you and it wasn't like it was... you know... anything wrong with it. I wasn't planning to... And he wouldn't listen! No matter what I said and how pissed he got... I don't get it and I don't like it."

"But it happens." I cut in as he took a breath. "I don't really know why and, yes, it scares me but it's nothing, Jake, nothing. So don't worry about it. If he had wanted to do something like you're convinced he does, he would have already. I've lived under his roof for how long now? And he hasn't done anything. So, drop it and what the hell are you doing? Get to class! You're going to be late!"

He finally looked me in the face and the look in his eyes told me I was missing something important to him. "I wasn't going to class without checking on you first. It scared the hell out of me what happened." He sighed, pushing his long bangs out of his face.

"You need a haircut."

"No, I don't. I like it long and so do you." His grin told me he was fine now so I pushed him to go to class.

"Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going. Geez." At the door, he said over his shoulder, "I'll be back for lunch so save me the best, okay?"

I rolled my eyes and waved him away. He rolled his eyes right back and left. I watched him walk to the opposite building like he wasn't late for class (which he was) and into the building until I couldn't see his form anymore.

And again, I felt drained. I didn't know why; the extra crazy that went on with the rest of the insanity? I just needed to sit and when I did my head felt so much heavier than it was. I fit my fingers around my face and just sat there for God knows how long.

~0~

The lunch rush was worse today. I'm not sure if all the students had telepathically decided together to go to the lunchroom but all I could register was I was running around more than usual taking orders and refilling drinks and cleaning up. Sure, the majority of them took their lunch outside to enjoy a nice day but that didn't mean they didn't leave me a nice mess to clean up. I was so busy trying to keep everything in order so I didn't give Peter another reason to get angry that I didn't notice a figure leaning against the far wall alone until he had touched my arm as I passed on my way to take a short breather in the kitchen.

"Edward!" I jumped. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were here!"

"I would have let you know sooner, but it looked like you were busy."

"Oh. Yeah, I was - am. I was just going back to the kitchen to take a short break." I glanced over my shoulder at the studnets still coming in. "I swear, these are the messiest kids I have ever dealt with."

Edward chuckled. "Welcome to the thoughts of the upper class: they're so used to their own maids and butlers at home, they think everyone else on the planet cleans up after them."

I gave him a skeptical eyebrow. "Including you?"

"I'm shocked, miss Swan, that you would think so little of me."

I felt the red rush up my neck.

"I'm only kidding," he laughed. "I was raised better than that. I don't take what I have for granted."

"Good to know." I caught sight of Peter looking for me and I panicked, grabbing Edward by the arm and pushing him into the outside pantry with me. I had caught him off guard and he had almost fallen on his face; me continuing to push probably didn't help matters.

In the safety of the enclosed space, I whispered, "Sorry. I've already made Peter mad today. If he saw me with you, he would have been mad all over again."

"It's alright," he said.

I looked out the small window in the door to be sure Peter was focused on the long line. "I don't think he saw." I turned back to Edward and was struck with how handsome he looked in the dimmed light of the pantry. How was he able to do this? I couldn't understand that or the effect it was having on me. Here he towered over me and his eyes were such a dark green they were almost black and his mouth was in an attractive almost smile. I reached out a hand to touch him, but he met me half way, taking my hand in his fingers, running his thumb over my knuckles before bending and touching them softly with his lips.

I could feel his smile against the skin of my knuckles. "I can't seem to not touch you somehow," he murmured wistfully. He lifted his head and met my eyes. "But I can't find it in me to mind."

"We're in a pantry," I squeaked, feeling the air between us spark.

"And away from prying eyes," he whispered conspirator-like back, pulling me to him. "I never thought I would ever be so anxious to see someone after seeing them not but a few hours ago." He leaned in close and whispered not an inch away from my mouth, "And then I met you."

I really wanted him to kiss me and that instant where I had to wait seemed forever.

But then a shadow fell over both of us.

I whipped around to see a figure approaching the door and thought my heart had stopped. I shoved Edward for a second time in five minutes into darker shadows. The pantry was big enough to hold a few shelves that we could hide behind, but if Peter needed cans, which happened to be on the farthest shelf where we were trying to hide, I was in so much trouble. He had to get it himself and that meant I was in trouble for not being there to do my job to get them and I was here with a boy in a dark place doing only the worst in his mind.

"Is it -?"

"Ssh!"

Edward fell silent at once, bending down more into the shadows for good measure. The pantry door opened, the light flooding all the way to the edge of the shelf we hid behind. I inched back so far I was pressed against the very warm body of Edward inch for inch. I would very much have loved to enjoy it, but my heart was beating too fast for me to really notice.

I prayed the footsteps would stop near the front, near the boxes of crackers or something but they kept coming closer and closer, pausing for a few seconds at a time before resuming. I was pressing so far into the shadows of the shelves, trying so desperately to melt that I had to have cut off Edward's air supply, but my fear was overpowering and all I could think was no, no, no, no, no.

I squeezed my eyes shut when I heard the footsteps stop right in front of me and prepared myself for the worst.

"So I was right. You were hiding back here."

In shock, my eyes popped open to see a very tall figure standing in front of me, too tall to be Peter and too broad to be anyone else but Jacob.

"Oh, I didn't realize I was walking in on something, um, private."

And with those words, I realized just how close I was to Edward and just where certain body parts of mine were pressed against certain body parts of his and just exactly what it looked like. Sqeaking, I jumped away from Edward, embarrassed that Jake thought he had walked in on... on that.

"This is not what it looks like." I said, but how fast I said it sounded guilty and how I stuttered it made me sound embarrassed for the wrong reasons.

"I'm surprised at you, Bella." Jake kept going on, but his voice sounded different than I thought it would. Less angry and more hurt. "I didn't think you were like this, especially with - Cullen?"

Edward had moved into the dim light and was staring at Jake. "Can we help you?"

I saw Jake blanch and I wanted to disappear. "What the hell is going on? I didn't think you were one of those girls, Bella. You haven't been dating long have you? Did he force you?"

"Oh my God, Jake, stop!" I yelled, covering my face. "We weren't doing that! I thought you were Peter and we were just trying to hide!" I knew he heard me even though he wasn't looking at me.

"So, you're Edward Cullen."

"I am. And who are you?"

"Jacob Black. You know? Bella's best friend since before she could walk?"

"Never heard of you."

Oh, good lord. I could hear masculinity radiating from the pair of them.

"Really? Bella never said shared any of our memories, how I was there for her through everything, even through all your crap?"

I winced at the last part, but I couldn't really say anything to him; he sounded... hurt?

I expected Edward to go off on him, but he ignored the last comment and said instead, "Sorry, no. I believe she enjoys the better company to remember you."

I couldn't believe he said that, but I forgot my irritation when Jacob took a menacing step forward. "You think because you have more money that you're better than me?":

"I think because I have better manners than you I am slightly higher up, yes." Edward answered softly.

"Want me to put you in your place?"

"Are you threatening me?"

They were almost nose to nose, leaving me to panic; how had this gotten so bad so fast? "Hey now," I said, forcing myself between them. "Enough with the testosterone. I get it, okay? You're the best friend and you're the boyfriend and don't like each other because you're male." I was able to push them apart a few feet. "Come on now. Let's all be friends." I was looking at Jake as I said it, but the way he was staring at me made me turn to Edward who was shooting daggers at Jake. When he caught my eye, he took a step back and Jake followed the action.

"Okay." I sighed, but now that it was over I felt awkward; the air was thickening as they stared at me with the occasional hostile flicker of their eyes at each other. "Um-"

"Don't you have work to do, Bella?" Jake muttered, jerking his thumb towards the door.

I gasped and ran for the door, barely midding the edge of the shelves. Peeking over the window ledge I saw the lunch line was winding around the cafeteria and students had left their trash on more than one table. I had to resist the urge to plunge into the darkness when I saw Peter scanning the cafeteria and his eyes finding the pantry we were hiding in.

I backed far into the shadows, my hands searching for something to grab onto and I found the warmth of Jacob's arm. My fingers dug into his forearm and I hissed, "I've got to get out of here. We all do. We've to get out before he see us!"

"Bella, he can't leave the register, not with all those students waiting in line."

"He can't see us leaving the room, genius."

"Was I speaking to you, runt?"

"Who are you calling a runt? I'm taller than you by at least a foot."

"I'm amazed you got a scholarship to attend here. Your math is atrocious."

"Who uses words like 'atrocious' anymore?"

"Guys, not the time to be fighting!" They both physically shut their mouths. "Okay, Jake, you leave first and then Edward you leave a little while after him."

"Why can't pretty boy go first?"

"You know what? Edward should go first."

Said Edward lifted an eyebrow at me.

"Only because if you're caught he won't say anything about it. Not in a room full of students anyway." The eyebrow was raised higher. "And you can be the scout to make sure we all get out without being seen. I have to get back to work!" I pleaded.

He didn't move right away but when he did, he pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head, to then slink along the wall, peeked out the window, and silkier than I have ever seen, slid out the door with no problem. I ran to see him walking easily across the cafeteria and for a moment, I thought he was going to leave us there to fend for ourselves, especially when he joined the normal table of his friends. My eyes started to hurt with a familiar pressure until he turned to face away from where we hid and then looked straight at me before he jerked his head to the left.

Elated, I grabbed Jake and pushed him. "Go! I'll be out in a second."

"Bella, please tell me it's not as serious as it looked." Jake said quickly.

"We don't have time for this, Jake!"

"I have to know. There wasn't anything funny going on, was there? Bells, I can't leave without making sure you really are okay."

Glancing over his shoulder, I saw Edward staring at the door, frustrated, and then to Peter who was scanning the lunch room again. "Jake! You missed your chance!"

"That doesn't matter now! Tell me you're alright, that nothing happened, and that it's not serious."

Another look over his shoulder showed Edward reaching across the table for something on Alice's plate. The bag of chips he stole with a smile was pulled to his side of the table where he disguised another jerk of his head with throwing a chip in his mouth.

"Nothing happened! I'm fine, nothing happened, and it's not serious! Now go! This is your chance!"

He turned on his heel and left pantry, not as smooth as Edward but conspicuous enough to get away with it. The weight in my chest became smaller and smaller with each step Jake took without being questioned or caught. I thought he'd stay near the edge of the room, waiting for me but it surprised me when he walked completely out. So surprised, I almost missed my own cue; Edward gave a huge jerk of his head, no doubt the most exaggerated one in a long line I missed. It was so big that caught the attention of the group. When I went to move however, I got scared, catching sight of Peter who, just as I was about to step out, turned around in my general direction.

I ducked away from the door and against the wall, feeling my heart beat like a bird. I was a horrible liar. Horrible, horrible, horrible. If I was caught, he'd see right through me. How long had I been gone? How long had he noticed I'd been gone? I was dead, I was so -

There was a crash and clattering that startled me so bad, I hit the ground to protect myself to only understand the noise came from outside. Scrambling to the window, I saw Emmett crawling on the floor, picking up the silverware, an apologizing, boyish smile on his face. Peter was on the ground too and from the looks of it he was yelling at Emmett. Emmett kept the smile, so genuine, I was sure he had accidently knocked the cart over... except the cart couldn't accidently be knocked over. For that to happen, someone would have to ram into it or topple it over, but to do that they'd have to be the size of Emmett -

There was a sharp rap against the wall behind my head, scaring me, and a bronze haired head loiter near the door.

Quickly, and much less quieter than either Jake or Edward, I wrenched the door open to see enough room to pass behind Edward and in front of the wall and then run around the tables to slide onto the floor beside Emmett and begin picking the silverware up. Peter stopped mid-complaint as soon as he saw me.

"And where the hell have you been? The tables are a mess and I've had to deal with these bratty students and now this oaf has knocked over the entire goddamn cart and I have to wash all of these! What are the brats supposed to eat with now? This means more complaints and more work for me!"

"I'm sorry, Peter."

"Don't apologize and answer my question. Where were you?"

"I was organizing the pantry shelves." I'm an idiot. A huge idiot who can't think under any crisis. Why didn't I just tell him that? I could have waited until after Edward and Jake had gotten out and then breezed out on my own, telling him I had been organizing the shelves instead of freaking out at my own shadow in the shadows of the pantry corner.

"You're never where you should be." He grumbled darkly, throwing the spoons so hard they ricocheted off each other.

"Here, let me get that for you," Emmett said, reaching over my hand and in once fell swoop grabbing a fistful of forks that would have taken me two handfuls. I noticed now I was here, Emmett was moving faster to get the spoons, forks, and knives picked up and in hardly any time, they were all thrown into the wash basket, which Peter thrust at me. "Take these back to the kitchen and wash them."

Which was his job, but I wasn't about to argue. I rushed back to the kitche with only one look over my shoulder to see Edward and Emmett sitting back at their table, talking and laughing like nothing had happened at all.

I had caught hell with Peter for the rest of the day and on the way back home. I didn't see Jake the rest of the day and only a quick glance over the shoulder from Edward as he left with the others. His car was still there when I left with Sue and Peter, but I didn't see him anywhere.

I disappeared to my room, knowing Sue would take care of Peter and calm him down. I didn't want to listen to another lecture and another interesting match between the two of them where Sue would try to reason with Peter and Peter would see how big of a deal he could make the situation.

I dropped heavily on my bed, not wanting to move any farther than that. Right now their voices were muffled to me but if I could find the energy to move a little more, I could cover my head with my pillow, wrap my blanket around me and sleep.

I woke up with a start, disoriented and usure where I was. It was really dark and hot; kicking my legs did nothing but get them all tangled together. I kicked a little harder and though I popped my knee, I was able to feel cool air on my legs. Rolling over, I fell and landed on the hard surface that I recognized as my floor, meaning I had been on my bed and had been asleep.

I was wide awake as I ran to my door only to find it halfway open. I closed my eyes and counted to ten, turning away from my door and trying to find something to tell me the time.

One look at my bedside clock sent me running without my head. I was throwing clothes together, unsure if they matched or not, throwing my chicken-nest-hair into something almost resembling order and out the door I went.

I almost missed the bus.

Depsite making it to the bus on time I was almost late to work.

I dropped a glass of soda all over Eric and tried to clean him.

I dropped two plates at once on the floor, food splattering everywhere and Mr. Webber having to speak to the unfortunate customers.

I wanted to go back to the kitchen and cry.

By the end of my shift Edward was waiting for me (a good thing, because if he hadn't of showed, I would have been a horrible mess.) I collapsed in his car and didn't even bother looking at him I was so exhausted.

"Bad morning?"

"The worst."

"Well, we're going to go get some breakfast with the others. Will it make you feel better if we go to my house to eat?"

"Sure."

He waited a second before he asked me, "Want to talk about it?"

I exhaled deeply. "It's nothing special or horrible. I just woke up with a bad start and it's just spiraled downhill from there."

"I have mornings like that."

"Hm. Really?"

"Oh, yes. Even rich, spoiled kids can have bad days."

"Consisiting of not getting their way, right?"

He grinned at my joke. "All the time."

When we pulled up into the driveway the door was flung open and a small blur was racing for us.

"Isabella! What did you do? Dress in the dark?"

"Actually -"

"Nevermind, I don't want to know." Alice circled me like a hawk. "Did you even brush your hair?"

"Alice," Edward warned.

"Well, it doesn't matter for now. Jasper's making breakfast and after we're done eating, I'll take Bella upstairs and fix this mess." Her eyebrows stiched together suddenly and she leaned forward before I could stop her. Her quick fingers were in my hair, pinching egg out of my hair. She looked at me in horror.

"I dropped a plate this morning." I explained.

I think if Edward hadn't stopped her she would have dragged my upstairs immediately. Instead we were welcomed with the smells of a traditional breakfast and the sound of Emmett talking loudly. Alice more or less stag-leaped Jasper in the kitchen. He was at the oven with a skillet in his hand, turning over some eggs by shaking the pan.

"Don't let Bella near those." Alice teased.

I was embarrassed by what she might say. The incident itself was normal, but letting them know how bad of a klutz I am was not something I wanted told.

Alice winked at me and spun for the refridgerator, reaching so far back she almost disappeared in it.

"Let's sit," Edward gestured for the counter top surrounded by chairs, two already taken by Rosalie and Emmett.

"Well, finally you two show up!" He boomed, thumping Edward on the back once and then putting his attention on me. "So, I see you got out alive. I didn't know what the hell Edward meant by making a distraction. I mean, I'm good at it, but he never asks me to do something like that. So I knocked over the silverware drawer, you know going for big, but not obvious. Kind of in the middle, almost subtle. But it worked didn't it? Perfect timing on your part, by the way. I was impressed with how you kept your cool."

"Don't ask me how I did it," I replied. "I've never been a good liar and Peter knows it, so he can spot a lie when I tell one. I seriously can't believe that worked."

"Don't sweat it. I figured it was something I could do to pay you back."

"Pay me back?"

I felt Edward's leg twitch followed by a thump and Emmett whopping Edward across the shoulder, saying, "Don't kick me." Jasper chose that moment to come in with plates piled with so much food; surely more than we could eat. But I had forgotten how much Emmett could put away. His plate was filled within a few seconds and piled under a minute.

"So, Edward, what were you and Bella doing in the dark pantry closet without any supervision?"

I dropped my fork to the floor, knowing my face was red and getting darker by the second.

"Emmett, do you have to?" Edward growled.

"Jazz, this is really good." Alice said sweetly, taking a bite of her toast.

"Yes, thank you, Jasper." Rosalie confirmed in her rich voice.

"I was just wondering." Emmett continued over them. "You're getting awfully defensive over it and Bella is turning a wonderful shade of maroon. It's completely natural you know. You both have horomones-"

Edward flat out kicked Emmett this time under the table but it felt like Emmett was waiting for it because his leg barely brushed mine as he retaliated and kicked Edward.

"You are acting like children." Rosalie sniffed. "Grow up."

"Just a little fun, babe." Emmett said just as Edward flicked his balled up napkin at Emmett where Emmett reached across the table and tried to tackle Edward's hands together.

I think I should have been alarmed, but no one else was doing anything and it looked like they were just wrestling. I was worried about the table collapsing, however.

"Okay, okay, okay! Truce!" Emmett yelled when Edward took a hold of his pinky and bent it back. "Cheater." He huffed back into his seat.

Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie continued eating like nothing had happened. Just before it was silent again, Alice looked up, smiled at me and winked before finishing off the rest of her toast.

The food was very good. I don't know if it was because Jasper was from the South and he inherited the secret recipes or if he was a natural, but what I was eating was better than anything I had in a while.

"This really is good, Jasper." I said shyly.

He nodded his head to me with a small smile. "Well thank you, ma'am."

Alice rolled her eyes and gave him a tiny push that hardly jostled him. "Stop using your overexaggerated Southern charms on her. You know they only work on me,"

Over-dramatic gagging noises came from Emmett.

"Shut up, Em. I don't want to hear it from you, Mr. Swag Brag."

"You're just jealous because you don't have my swag."

I opened my mouth to ask what they were talking about but the gentle breath of air in my ear saying, "You don't want to know," from Edward closed my mouth real quick.

"What was that, Bella?" Emmett called. "You have something to ask?" The mischeivious pull at his mouth told me I was better not biting the bait, so instead I asked, "What did you mean earlier? When you said you were paying me back?"

The table stilled together at once; I thought stuff like that only happened in the movies. Everyone was looking from me to Emmett or from Emmett to me depending on who I looked at until they all finally set on Emmett. He and Edward seemed to be having a mental conversation, communicating physically with their eyes.

"She should know, man." Emmett said.

"Know what?" I asked.

"Are you sure you want to bring this up?"

"Bring what up?"

"She has something to do with this, Ed."

"Is this something to bring up now?'

"Well someone better tell me now or I'll just think it's worse than it really is." And now I had all pairs of eyes on me, making me feel ridiculous. "Please." I added stupidly.

"I was the kid your dad saved."

Whatever I was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. "What?"

Emmett shrugged and with that movement, he suddenly looked so much older. "I was out playing in the woods. Exploring new worlds and all that and I ended up going too far. I found the den on accident and as you know, bears don't like to be bothered or have anything in their territory. I thought for sure I was going to die. I remember knowing I was and all I could think of was how I hadn't cleaned my room like my mom asked me to before I left." He lifted his arm to roll up his sleeves where four long scars wrapped around his right shoulder. "If your dad hadn't shown up I would probably be dead."

I was aware of Rosalie reaching for his hand, of Alice staring at me and Edward not. I felt cold and unreasonable.

I stood from the table quicker than I actually meant to and almost stumbled back. Edward grasped me before I fell and I could sense he was going to get up with me, but I shook him off and left as calmly as I could out the door. I did not want to be in the same room, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and they didn't need to see the hystericas that were clawing up my throat.

I didn't make it far off the porch before the tears fell and they wouldn't stop until eventually I was sobbing hysterically into my hands, crumbling to sit on the steps. If I curled in on myself so much, I could disappear.

I knew he had died saving someone and I had come to not feel anger at the kid after I had come out of mourning and the years had dulled the sense of loss. But this reopened the wound again and actually knowing the kid was like rubbing salt in it.

I heard the door open and felt the footsteps reverberate along the porch. I tensed; I didn't need or want them to see me, try to talk to me or anything. I was better off if they broke all ties with me and called me the insane lunch girl.

"I wasn't out to upset you."

I thought it would be Edward to come out and talk to me if any of them did, not Emmett. I rubbed my eyes hard, finding any excuse to not look at him.

"You aren't mad at me are you?"

The tone of his voice made me look up from my hands and through my swollen eyes. It was strange to see Emmett look anything but happy. It aged him, making him look like he carried a heavy burden across his shoulders.

I found myself shaking my head, wiping the wetness out from under my eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you're went through, but I can imagine how horrible it was. I just... I don't know. I wanted you to know because I felt you should know and I didn't want you to find out from someone who wasn't me and not know what the hell happened, you know?" He made a noise of frustration while rubbing his palm up and down his face once, pulling the skin until the pink of his skin was visible.

He didn't try to go on from there and for that I was grateful. I didn't want to know the details of my father's death, I didn't want to hear how proud he'd be of me from a person who didn't know him, and I didn't want to talk about this anymore.

"Thank you, Emmett," I rasped.

"So, we're still friends?"

I gave a bobbing sort of nod. "Of course."


End file.
